In the UK, tests are carried out on newborn babies to determine the mother’s alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
In the United Kingdom, fetal alcohol syndrome is such a public health problem that the health authorities have decided to carry out tests on babies who are born, to assess the alcohol consumption of the mother during pregnancy.
To date, 200 tests have been analyzed at the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital in Glasgow. Meconiums (first infant stool) were collected to determine the amount of fatty acid ethyl esters and ethyl glucuronide, two markers of alcohol consumption. The mothers were asked to answer a questionnaire about their lifestyle. The researchers did not take into account very occasional alcohol consumption among their results.
One in seven women drink regularly
The latter still have something to alert. According to initial analyses, 40% of women consume alcohol when they are pregnant and 15% drink more than one or two drinks per week. According to the researchers who refer to the American literature, the levels of ethylglucuronide indicate that approximately one in seven women consumes up to four or five drinks on a single occasion, and several times during the week.
The authors of this work believe that fetal alcohol syndrome could be the cause of many learning delays and brain disorders observed in the United Kingdom. The study must be extended so as to obtain 750 tests on infants. According to the NHS (National Health System), it is not a question of “policing” women, but of assessing the extent of the phenomenon, supporting mothers and improving diagnosis.
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