CHICAGO – September is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Awareness Month, emphasizing the risks of drinking during pregnancy. In 2023, approximately 1 in 10 pregnant women in the U.S. ages 15-44 reported alcohol use in the past month, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Health officials stress that no amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy. Prenatal alcohol exposure can result in FASD, which includes a range of lifelong cognitive, behavioral, and physical disorders like Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and alcohol-related neurodevelopmental defects.
Experts urge women who are pregnant, trying to conceive, or at risk of pregnancy to avoid alcohol. For those battling alcohol dependency, help is available.
