The effect of maternal alcohol consumption on fetal compensatory adrenal hypertrophy following unilateral adrenalectomy was studied in rats. Females were given 20% alcohol in tap water for 4 weeks prior to mating and 30% alcohol in tap water throughout gestation (alcohol), or were pair-fed to the alcohol group (pair-fed) or were fed ad libitum (control). On day 20, fetuses were unilaterally left-adrenalectomized or sham operated. Mothers were sacrificed on day 22 of gestation and right adrenals of adrenalectomized, sham-operated, and unoperated fetuses were removed and weighed. Some adrenals were fixed, sectioned, and stained for histological examination. Adrenalectomized fetuses of all three dietary treatment groups demonstrated compensatory hypertrophy. Adrenals of alcohol-exposed fetuses weighed less than those of pair-fed or control fetuses, and the ratio of adrenal weight/body weight was greater, regardless of surgical procedure. Histological sections of right adrenals of left-adrenalectomized fetuses showed larger cells and widened sinusoids, compared to unoperated fetuses in the corresponding dietary treatment groups. These results are consistent with a retardation in adrenal growth and development as a result of alcohol exposure, but show that alcohol consumption throughout gestation does not affect the ability of the adrenals to undergo compensatory hypertrophy following unilateral adrenalectomy.