Malformations and growth of rat fetuses exposed to brief periods of alcohol in utero.

The effects of acute alcohol exposure at specific stages of gestation on fetal growth and morphology were investigated in rats. Alcohol was administered by gavage on either days 7-9, 10-12, or 13-15 of gestation (sperm positive, day 0). Increased resorptions and reduced body weights in fetuses were related to prenatal alcohol treatment and were not related to the period of alcohol administration. The teratological examinations did not reveal structural anomalies related to alcohol treatment. These findings are of interest in that they were observed in fetuses treated in an acute model of the fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) which has shown reductions in protein synthesis.