Pregnancy | Wisconsin Substance Abuse

Consequences of Alcoholism on Women

Alcoholism is also referred to as alcohol dependence in simpler terms. Like drug addiction, alcohol dependence also is a disease by itself. Moderate drinking with a control is not harmful, whereas alcohol dependence is.

What is Alcoholism?

There are four important characteristics of alcoholism. They are
• Craving – an obsessive urge to drink alcohol.
• Inability to Control – can not control the level and frequency of alcohol consumption.
• Physical Dependence- when alcohol drinking is withdrawn, many symptoms like sweating, nausea and shakiness can be observed.
• Tolerance – to experience the same amount of high they got for the first time, alcoholics drink larger amount of alcohol.

Consequences of Alcoholism

Many serious medical conditions and disorders arise out of alcohol dependence. It can also lead to cancer. Liver, brain and other vital organs in your body get damaged by heavy drinking. It can cause birth defects when a pregnant woman is an alcoholic. Homicides and suicides have also been related to alcohol dependence. It also is the main reason for vehicle crashes and injuries in night times.

Effects of Alcoholism on a Woman

Alcohol can be detrimental to woman more than on a man. It results in psychological and physiological problems in a woman as well as creates problems in an unborn child (of pregnant woman). When woman take to alcoholism due to factors like dear one’s demise, sexual or physical abuse, mental problems, overcoming trauma, she is actually risking her life. Issues like breast cancer, damage to liver, nerve, heart muscle, stomach or brain can occur. Certain permanent neurological disorders like brain shrinkage can also be the outcome of long term alcoholism.

In Pregnancy

When pregnant, consuming alcohol is dangerous as it flows through the bloodstream and reaches the fetus. It can result in miscarriages, premature baby, congenital behavioral problems or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in the child.

Nursing Mothers

If a nursing mother consumes alcohol, it mixes with the blood stream. Thus, they also risk the baby’s health by consuming alcohol because it mixes with the breast milk. Hence, no level of alcohol consumption is safe for pregnant and nursing women.

Vitamin D Levels of a Pregnant Woman Might Affect Her Infant

We all are aware of the important role that vitamin D plays in our life. Apart from being helpful in development of bones, it’s also believed to prevent type 1 diabetes and osteoporosis. Women especially have always been warned of its significance because as they near their menopause, their bones begin to become fragile and weak. This is the reason why so many women become conscious of their vitamin D levels and many other issues as they reach middle age.

Vitamin D levels of a Mother and Newborn

It has been found recently through a Canadian study that babies born to mothers with low Vitamin D levels at the time of pregnancy, may be at a high risk of developing tooth enamel defects as well as childhood tooth decay. Researchers at Manitbota University after analyzing the Vitamin D levels of 206 pregnant women in their second trimester have found that only 21 among them had sufficient levels of Vitamin D. Also it was found that the women’s vitamin D levels were directly related to prenatal vitamin use and frequency of consumption of milk.

Further Examination

Researchers also looked into the case of 135 infants and found that 33.6 percent among them had early childhood tooth decay and 21.6 percent had enamel defects. Mothers of children suffering from enamel defects showed lower levels of Vitamin D during their pregnancy compared to the mothers of children who had no enamel defects. Likewise, mothers of babies suffering from early childhood tooth decay also had very low levels of Vitamin D compared to mothers of cavity free babies. Researchers also said infants with enamel defects were more likely to develop childhood tooth decay. This study is to be presented at the General Session of the International Association for Dental Research, Toronto. It will be the first study that shows pregnant women’s levels of Vitamin D may have direct bearing on their infant’s dental health.

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Consequences of Alcoholism on Women

Vitamin D Levels of a Pregnant Woman Might Affect Her Infant

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