The specific quantity, frequency, and timing of prenatal exposure to alcohol that will produce a child with a specific diagnosis within the FASD continuum varies greatly by individual mothers, and furthermore the maternal drinking variance is demonstrated in this study to exist both between and within FASD diagnostic categories. Binge drinking of at least two days a week during all trimesters in this population may produce FAS or PFAS, while mothers of children with ARND and exposed children without an FASD are most likely to reduce their average and peak alcohol consumption in the later trimesters. Overall, however, regular drinking in a binge fashion is the common pattern for all mothers of children with any of the FASD diagnoses.
