Experimental production of growth retardation in the sheep fetus after exposure to alcohol.

The effect of excessive alcohol consumption during pregnancy on fetal development has been studied in sheep. Fetuses of ewes which had consumed 10% ethanol in water before, and during, pregnancy were delivered by hysterotomy 10 days before parturition and found to be shorter (P < 0.01), lighter (P < 0.01), and to have significantly lighter brains (P < 0.05) than normal fetuses of comparable gestational age. Heart, liver, spleen, kidneys and adrenal glands all weighed less than those of fetuses from ewes which drank water instead of alcohol. The findings provide experimental evidence for growth retardation after exposure of the sheep fetus to alcohol, and are consistent with clinical reports on the human fetal alcohol syndrome.