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The fact that alcohol and pregnancy are incompatible is constantly repeated by doctors of all times and peoples. But there are too bold or frivolous ladies who try to disagree with this. As an argument in favor of “moderate” drinking in the early stages of pregnancy, studies of some foreign scientists or examples from the life of their own acquaintances are cited.
In fact, the first trimester of pregnancy can be divided into two periods, in each of which ethanol affects the fetus in a different way:
- the first 10-12 days from the moment of conception;
- from 12–13 days to the end of the first trimester of pregnancy.
The effect of alcohol on the fetus in the first 10-12 days from the moment of conception
A woman is already born with a full set of follicles (about 500 thousand), and throughout her life they only die, no new ones are formed. This is not scary, because only 400-500 of them will mature during the entire childbearing period.
But under the influence of alcohol, the follicles begin to die more intensively, and some are damaged. If a spermatozoon fertilizes a diseased egg, then subsequently the child may be born with a congenital pathology. The less a woman drinks alcohol, the healthier her eggs are.
Even strong alcohol drunk immediately after conception or in the first few days after it will not affect the state of the fertilized egg. If the egg was originally healthy, then the division process is carried out according to the plan laid down by nature.
It is dangerous that in the body of a future mother, ethanol provokes an increased secretion in the fallopian tubes. It is through these tubes, intensively dividing along the way, that the egg travels to the uterus in the first 4–5 days after conception. If the fallopian tubes are clogged, the fetus will get stuck and attach directly to the tube.
When the embryo, already consisting of 58 cells, enters the uterus on the 4-5th day after conception, it begins to implant, its outer shell, the chorion, is formed. Up to the 13th day, while there is no placental circulation system yet, alcohol drunk by the mother can kill the embryo and provoke a miscarriage. But alcohol cannot cause any disease of the fetus.
Everything said is true about those women who drink little, rarely and only high-quality alcoholic beverages. Of course, when planning a pregnancy, it is better to give up alcohol altogether, but anything can happen in life.
If the expectant mother, not yet knowing about the pregnancy, drank alcohol in the first one and a half weeks after conception, you should not worry: this will not affect the health of the baby. Of course, it is imperative to check whether an ectopic pregnancy has occurred.
The effect of alcohol on the condition of the fetus from the 13th day after conception
Approximately on the 13th day after conception, the creation of the placental circulatory system begins. Now the fetus receives oxygen and all the nutrients from the mother’s body. Alcohol drunk by a woman causes vasoconstriction, as a result, an unborn child experiences hypoxia – oxygen starvation.
Ethanol perceives as poison even the liver of an adult healthy person. The fetal liver is just being formed, it cannot cope with the poison. And thanks to the placental circulation system, the blood of the fetus has the same percentage of alcohol as that of the mother.
In the first trimester, all organs of the embryo are formed. The fetus is especially sensitive from the 28th to the 49th day, when the baby’s facial features are laid. Ethanol poisoning can adversely affect the appearance of the baby.
Here are just some of the consequences of ethyl alcohol poisoning and fetal hypoxia in the first trimester of pregnancy:
- fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Babies with severe disease often die a few years after birth. If they survive, they are significantly behind their peers in development. Often such children have difficulty seeing or hearing. It is very difficult to teach them anything, as it is difficult for babies to concentrate in order to learn new information. A child with a pronounced FAS is easily recognizable by a small head, a flat face (the structure of parts of the face is underdeveloped), and a short chin. The eyes are small, the bridge of the nose is low, the nose is short and upturned;
- disorders in the work of the brain and spinal cord;
- damage to the nervous system. At a minimum, children suffer from hyperactivity, subject to frequent mood swings. In severe cases – psychosis, manic disorders, suicidal tendencies;
- disorders in the genital area: in boys – cryptorchidism, in girls – pathologies of the reproductive organs.
For a mother, drinking alcohol in early pregnancy often results in miscarriage or premature birth. But even if the baby was born normal, you should not relax. Sometimes the consequences appear during puberty, when a smart and obedient child suddenly turns into an angry, unreasonable teenager.
What to do if a pregnant woman wants alcohol
Often, pregnant women experience cravings for alcoholic beverages with a pronounced taste: beer, wine, alcoholic cocktails. There is an opinion that if a pregnant woman wants something, then she certainly needs to be given it: they say, the body itself knows what is good for it. The trouble is that craving for alcohol is really a signal from the body about the lack of certain substances, only incorrectly interpreted by the brain.
Let’s try to figure it out:
- the desire to drink beer indicates a lack of vitamins, in the first place – B, C, D, E, folic acid. Folic acid is vital for DNA synthesis, which is intense in the body of the fetus. Pregnant women need to take preparations containing folic acid, since it does not come enough with food;
- the desire to drink wine is often a sign of low hemoglobin, developing anemia, deficiency of vitamin C, iron. In such cases, doctors prescribe hematogen, iron-containing drugs;
- craving for alcoholic cocktails arises from a lack of fresh fruit in the diet. If fruits cannot be eaten (for example, they cause allergic reactions), the doctor will recommend the necessary vitamins.
Thus, the desire to drink alcohol in early pregnancy can neither be satisfied nor ignored. It is necessary to consult a doctor, take tests, find out what substances are missing in the body and make up for their deficiency by changing the diet and taking vitamins.
Starting from the 12-13th day after conception, when the placental circulation system is formed, and until the end of the first trimester of pregnancy, alcohol is contraindicated in all forms and forms, no matter how much a woman wants it and no matter how much she is persuaded. Every sip of alcohol during this period is a serious threat to the health of the mother and child.