PEDIATRICS Vol. 85 No. 5 May 1990, pp. 748-752
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Effect of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure on Growth and Morphology of Offspring at 8 Months of Age

Nancy L. Day PhD1, Gale Richardson PhD1, Nadine Robles PhD1, Usha Sambamoorthi PhD1, Paul Taylor MD1, Mark Scher MD1, David Stoffer PhD1, Dorcie Jasperse MS1, and Marie Cornelius PhD1

1 From the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, and the School of Medicine and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

In this prospective study of alcohol and other substance use during pregnancy, a cohort of women was interviewed at each trimester of pregnancy and when the offspring were 8 months of age. Data are presented concerning the outcome for 461 infants. A significant relationship was found between alcohol use during pregnancy and the growth and morphology of the offspring at the 8-month follow-up observation. Alcohol use during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy and continuous use of alcohol throughout pregnancy were significantly related to lower weight, length, and head circumference in the exposed infants at the follow-up observation. A significant increase in the risk of minor physical anomalies and fetal alcohol effects was also predicted by prenatal alcohol exposure.

Key Words: alcohol • pregnancy • growth • morphology • substance use

Submitted on March 16, 1989
Accepted on July 18, 1989