The cross-sectional study assessed 13,146 first-graders in four different regions in the U.S. between 2010 and 2016, and found that at least one in 20 American kids lands somewhere in the spectrum of fetal alcohol disorders.
Cue the inevitable mom guilt: A scary new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that more children are affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs), a group of conditions caused by drinking during pregnancy, than doctors previously thought.
The cross-sectional study assessed 13,146 first-graders in four different regions in the U.S. between 2010 and 2016, and found that at least one in 20 American kids lands somewhere in the spectrum of fetal alcohol disorders. (Doctors previously believed only one in 100 kids was affected.)
While shocking, the researchers say that number may be conservative: It could be as high as one in 10 kids.
FASDs can cause a range of issues for children, including abnormal growth and facial features, small head size, poor coordination, learning disabilities, and problems with the heart, kidneys, or bones, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Despite the fact that so many women are aware of the risks of drinking while pregnant, the CDC reports that about one in 10 pregnant women reports using alcohol during their pregnancy.
Also worth noting: More than 3 percent of pregnant women said they engaged in binge-drinking (i.e. having four or more drinks at one time) during their pregnancy, according to the CDC.
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Drinking during pregnancy is a much-debated topic: Is the occasional glass of wine okay? Or should you quit completely? The American Academy of Pediatrics stresses that during pregnancy no amount of alcohol is considered safe. the disorder. (Don't want the world to know you're pregnant yet? Here's how to fake happy hour.) And, even though some women think it's fine when they're close to delivery, the AAP stresses that there is no safe trimester to drink alcohol.