I would suggest abstinence also..especially since the guidelines are not clear. One of my colleagues here did his dissertation work on fetal alcohol syndrome and, as I recall, he mentioned that the effects can depend also on the time (third trimester) and consistency of ingestion (a highball or equivalent a day can be bad). It can promote some useful class discussion. Gary
Gerald L. (Gary) Peterson, Ph.D. Professor, Psychology Saginaw Valley State University University Center, MI 48710 989-964-4491 peter...@svsu.edu >>> "DeVolder Carol L" <devoldercar...@sau.edu> 2/6/2009 11:50 am >>> Dear Tipsters, I tried posting this on the other list (PSYTEACH) but it was rejected because it serves no purpose to carry this any further since it has strayed from the "teaching of psychology." This list is easier, and if you're not interested, then just delete it. I think it relates to teaching psych because I want to provide my students with what I consider valid information. So, I'm copying what I sent to the other list for what it's worth. The question on PSYTEACH to which I am referring dealt with how much alcohol is safe during pregnancy, and whether we are using scare tactics to unnecessarily frighten people. I've been waiting to write this message because I wanted to hear back from a colleague, Dr. Jennifer Thomas, at San Diego State University. In my opinion, Jennifer is a well-respected expert in this field and is past president of the Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group. I also went to grad school with Jen and remember her work with rat pups and their exposure to alcohol (that's my disclosure about potential bias, but really I'd still consider her an expert). I asked her for her opinion on acceptable levels of alcohol ingestion during pregnancy and the threshold for adverse fetal effects, and she acknowledged that there is very active debate on the topic, with the consensus in the US being somewhat different from the consensus in the UK. (The position in the US is abstinence, in the UK the accepted level is a glass per day.) In her words, "The problem really is that there is so much variability in response to alcohol(genetics, nutrition, other exposures) that one cannot make a prediction of the risk for an individual and so there is NO known safe level of alcohol exposure during pregnancy. We certainly see changes with low levels of exposure with the animal models. It is more difficult to study in humans." Jennifer also pointed me to two sites, which I am including here: http://www.rsoa.org/fas.html and http://www.rsoa.org/fas-Response.pdf . The second link has a reference list. My opinion remains unchanged--I still believe in complete abstinence during all phases of pregnancy. I realize there are anecdotes about people who drink and their "baby came out just fine," but I'd rather be safe than sorry as much as possible. Carol Carol DeVolder, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Chair, Department of Psychology St. Ambrose University Davenport, Iowa 52803 phone: 563-333-6482 e-mail: devoldercar...@sau.edu --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
