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FAQ's
What Role Do Men Play in FASD ?
Every time we do training or make a presentation
we can count on
one question being asked: “Does drinking by men cause
FASD ?” The answer
is a clear no. Fetal alcohol syndrome and other alcohol-related
birth
defects can only be caused by maternal drinking during
pregnancy. While
a great deal of attention has been given to the influence
of maternal
drinking on pregnancy outcome, research, information and
data on the
possible role of male drinking is limited.
As stated in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Diagnosis,
Epidemiology, Prevention,
and Treatment a report of the Institute of Medicine of
the National
Academy of Sciences, “the possible biophysiological
contribution of
paternal alcohol consumption to an adverse pregnancy
outcome is not
well understood. The animal literature suggests
that male exposure to
alcohol might result in some damage to sperm, and thus
affect the fetus. Data from animal models suggest that paternal alcohol
exposure may
affect organ weights, hormone secretion, and immune response
in the
offspring (Abel, 1993; Abel and Blitzke, 1990; Abel and
Tan, 1986; Cicero,
1994; Hazlett et al., 1989), but paternal consumption
of alcohol does not
cause FASD .” It has also been suggested that low-birth
weight, premature
births and some learning disabilities may be associated
with male drinking
prior to conception, but there is no research that clearly
supports
this information.
What we do know is that women who abuse alcohol
tend to associate
with men who also drink excessively. We know
that a woman is much more successful in her ability to
stop drinking
and to stay
sober if her male partner, as well as family and friends,
also stop
drinking. So, the role of men in the prevention of fetal
alcohol spectrum
disorders is significant—all prevention efforts
should address
both men and women, parents, friends, family members
and the community-
at-large. While a male’s drinking cannot cause
FASD, it can
certainly attribute to children being born with FASD,
and their support
for their partner to stop drinking can decrease the likelihood
of
women continuing to drink during pregnancy.
Posted Summer 2002