Drinking alcohol in mid-pregnancy may cause digestive and neurological symptoms in the mother, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders when the fetus is under the influence of alcohol, depending on the individual.
Alcohol contains ethanol, which can be absorbed through the digestive system and cause irritation to the mucous membranes of the digestive tract, resulting in abdominal distension, nausea, vomiting and other discomforts. Ethanol can also enter the brain through blood circulation. Drinking a small amount of alcohol will cause excitement, insomnia, and talk too much, while drinking a large amount of alcohol will inhibit the nervous system, causing drowsiness, lethargy, fatigue, and even coma.
Ethanol may also pass through the placenta and enter the fetal body, and in severe cases, it can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, leading to abnormal limb development, neurological damage, mental retardation, behavioral abnormalities and so on.
However, it is not true that when pregnant women drink alcohol, the fetus will definitely have abnormalities. The probability of fetal abnormalities is related to the amount and frequency of alcohol consumption and the metabolizing ability of the mother’s body to alcohol, etc. If only a small amount of alcohol is consumed occasionally, the majority of fetuses are also healthy.
For the health of the mother and the fetus, alcohol consumption should be avoided during pregnancy. If alcohol is consumed inadvertently during mid-pregnancy, you should go to the hospital in time to do the necessary tests, such as ultrasound, to determine the development of the fetus.