Even in Biblical and early Greek literature, a woman was warned not to drink wine or strong drinks after she conceived her child. Since 1973 the pattern of physical and mental defects, called FAS, has been associated with the offsprings of chronic alcoholic mothers. It is uncertain to what extent FAS is found in the United States. It is estimated that there are more than one million alcoholic women of childbearing age. And the number is growing. .
Babies born to teenagers who drink heavily are at double the risk.
Since the teenager herself is a growing individual, her body needs nutrients for her own growth. The unborn child also needs nutrients for development. In a teenage pregnancy, both mother and baby are at risk - the mother puts additional stress on her body and the baby has an increased chance of being born too small or too soon. Research to establish the amount of alcohol that places the fetus at risk is still in progress. The full syndrome has been found in babies born to mothers who drink four to five drinks a day, or who go on binges of extreme alcohol consumption.