September is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Month. To mark this occasion, the Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (MOFAS) is leading the way in increasing awareness and educating women on the importance of not drinking alcohol during pregnancy.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders can only be caused by a woman drinking alcohol while pregnant. Despite myths, there is no scientific evidence available that sets a “safe” amount of alcohol that will not affect the developing fetus. The U.S. surgeon general, the federal Centers for Disease Control, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists all advise pregnant women and women who could become pregnant to abstain completely from alcohol during pregnancy. An estimated 5,367 babies are born each year in Minnesota with some level of prenatal alcohol exposure. That is over 100 babies born each week with potential brain damage and lifelong struggles that could have been prevented.

MOFAS encourages all pregnant women and women trying to get pregnant to remember 049 — zero alcohol for nine months. In Minnesota, nearly half of all pregnancies are unplanned, and many women do not know they are pregnant for up to four to six weeks after conception.

If a woman is drinking alcohol during pregnancy, it is never too late to stop drinking. Brain growth takes place throughout pregnancy, so the sooner a woman stops drinking the safer it will be for her and her baby. If a woman cannot stop drinking, MOFAS encourages them to get help through a health care provider, local Alcoholics Anonymous or another local treatment center. MOFAS educates and supports health care providers to ask every woman, every time about their alcohol use and provide information on FASD as part of preventive medicine.

For more information on alcohol use during pregnancy and a monthlong series of activities and events by MOFAS to create awareness and educate people on FASD, go to www.mofas.org.

Emily Gunderson, director of communications at MOFAS

St. Paul