Alcohol use during pregnancy is a major public health problem. Alcohol has known teratogenic effects, and 19% of children borne in the USA have been exposed to alcohol during gestation. There is a spectrum of alcohol effects on the fetus (fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) ) that include: the fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorders (ARND), alcohol- related birth defects (ARBD) and other fetal alcohol effects (FAE) that can result in increased rates of behavioral abnormalities such as attention deficit disorders. The prevalence of FASD is 1% of all births. FAS is the leading identifiable cause of mental retardation. The cost to the USA of FAS alone is up to $6 billion per year. Alcohol rapidly diffuses across the placenta and is distributed to all fetal tissues. There is a higher incidence of FASD in children whose mothers drink more, but if mothers consume even just one drink per week there is an increased rate of behavioral disorders in their children. There is no known safe amount of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, which is the basis for the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation that mothers who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy abstain from drinking any alcohol.