PSYB20H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Prenatal Development, Gestational Age, Umbilical Cord
Document Summary
Fetal alcohol syndrome (fas) and fetal alcohol effects (fas/e) are clusters of abnormalities shown by children whose mothers drank during pregnancy, and they are leading causes of mental retardation. Fetal alcohol syndrome was identified during the 1970s and there is no cure. Once alcohol enters a fetus"s bloodstream, it remains there in high concentrations for long periods of time, causing brain damage and harming other body organs. Pregnancy tests detect the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin", a hormone that is produced only by fetuses. There are no false positives for pregnancy tests, because detection of the naturally occurring hormone always means a conception has occurred regardless of whether the pregnancy is ultimately viable. Women are born with a finite number of eggs. The prenatal period of development, between conception and birth is called gestation: the normal range of gestation is between 37 & 41 weeks.
