Question

which of the following best describes why women should avoid drinking alcohol when pregnant?
a. alcohol use should be avoided during pregnancy because whatever the mother drinks will pass through the liver into the fetus, damaging its growing body.
b. drinking alcohol during pregnancy should be avoided because the fetuss lungs are underdeveloped and can not process the alcohol.
c. alcohol use should be avoided during pregnancy because it can cause the fetus to be born with physical deformities and mental difficulties.
d. women should avoid alcohol during pregnancy because it increases both the mother’s and fetus’s chance of developing alcohol - related birth defects.
please select the best answer from the choices provided.
○ a
○ b
○ c

Explanation:

• Option A is incorrect: Alcohol passes from the mother's bloodstream through the placenta to the fetus, not via the liver directly.
• Option B is incorrect: The fetus cannot process alcohol because its liver is underdeveloped, not its lungs.
• Option C is partially correct but limited: While alcohol can cause physical and mental issues, it does not cover the full scope of risks, and not all exposed fetuses will be born with these issues.
• Option D is the most accurate: It encompasses the broad, evidence-based risk that maternal alcohol use increases the chance of alcohol-related birth defects for the fetus, and also notes the mother's increased risk, making it the best comprehensive answer.

Answer:

D. Women should avoid alcohol during pregnancy because it increases both the mother's and fetus's chance of developing alcohol-related birth defects.