A current view on the alcohol-related teratogenic effects during pregnancy. Potential preventive measures

Aim : to analyze and summarize the available data of studies aimed at deepening knowledge in the field of the influence of alcohol on the course of pregnancy, possible consequences; to study the prevalence of alcohol consumption by Russian women, as well as possible preventive measures. Materials and Methods . The results of Russian and foreign studies on the effect of alcohol on the fetus and pregnancy outcome, published in the international databases Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, have been analyzed. The search for scientific publications was limited to the period from 2012 to 2021. We used search queries in Russian ("alcohol", "pregnancy", "prevention", "fetus", "fetal alcohol syndrome") and English ("alcohol", "pregnancy", "prophylaxis", "fetus", "fetal alcohol syndrome"). Results . The presented data analysis indicates an extremely negative effect of alcohol on the body of pregnant women, as well as on the health of our future generation. This article proves the importance of the problem, the need for further research on the mechanisms of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and the development of effective prevention measures, possible methods of treatment, and assistance for alcoholic fetal syndrome. Today in Russia there is an acute lack of information on the real extent of the problem with maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy. There is still no exact data on the prevalence of FAS in Russia. Conclusion . From the analysis of domestic and foreign literature, it can be concluded that the problem of preventing fetal alcohol syndrome is an urgent and unexplored problem in Russia. There is a need for doctors to conduct pregravid preparation of a married couple when they plan to conceive a healthy child. It is necessary to raise awareness and improve the quality of training for obstetricians and gynecologists in order to identify women with high risk factors for alcohol abuse and childbirth with FAS in the early stages of pregnancy management. It is also necessary to identify new or use already known biomarkers of maternal blood to verify excessive alcohol consumption during pregnancy.