What is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)?

FAS is not a single birth defect. Instead, it's a cluster of related conditions, including:

• Characteristic facial shape or appearance (such as small eyelid openings, smooth skin surface between nose and upper lip)
• Small head size
• Retarded growth before and after birth
• Mental retardation
• Short attention span
• Behavioral problems

Babies with fetal alcohol effects (FAE) have some but not all of these characteristics. More recently, physicians have used the term "alcohol-related birth defects" to describe babies and children who have problems related to prenatal alcohol exposure but who don't meet the criteria for fetal alcohol syndrome.