Maternal ethanol consumption and fetal development in the rat: a comparison of ethanol exposure techniques.

Comparison of the polydipsia and liquid diet procedures for ethanol exposure were used in female rats, either before and/or during gestation. Autopsy of the fetuses on day 20 of gestation found a significant weight reduction in the polydipsia-exposed animals that could be attributed to ethanol. No such effect was found in the liquid diet-exposed animals. The data are discussed in relation to the human fetal alcohol syndrome.