Drinking alcohol during pregnancy increases your risk of miscarriage, premature birth and having a low-weight baby. Data on the safe amount of alcohol for expectant mothers are contradictory. Researchers in Ireland examined the effects of the amount of alcohol they drank during the first weeks of pregnancy on the health of their children.
The results of the analysis were published in the journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth.
Researchers from Dublin interviewed over 60 women in 10-12 weeks of pregnancy. Future mothers were asked about home life, work, origin and alcohol consumption. The data collected in this way was compared with the data obtained during childbirth and the data from the neonatal special care unit.
One-fifth of the study participants said that they had not drunk alcohol since becoming pregnant, 71 percent. admitted drinking occasionally. Few cases of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) were found in the drinking group, which may indicate that women reported underreported alcohol consumption data.
Nevertheless, the finding of only one case of FAS was a big surprise for scientists and, according to the authors, indicates that the syndrome was not diagnosed by medical staff (in other children) or suggests that the symptoms of FAS do not appear until later – after the mother leaves the hospital with the newborn baby.
Among the study participants, 10 percent. admitted drinking moderate amounts of alcohol while pregnant, these ladies also smoked cigarettes frequently and worked compared to women who did not drink at all. Only 2 in 1000 mothers reported drinking large amounts of alcohol, they were young and also used drugs. Ladies who drank heavily or moderately were most likely to be pregnant for the first time (and this was associated with an accidental, unplanned pregnancy).
Researchers have found that drinking large amounts of alcohol in early pregnancy carries a high risk of having a baby long before the due date of delivery, and an additional increased risk of developing health problems in adulthood. However, there was no relationship between the amount of alcohol consumed and the risk of developing birth defects.
The authors of the study summarize the results of their work as follows: This study proves how important it is for doctors and the environment of pregnant women to control alcohol abuse during pregnancy and how important early intervention in the treatment of drinking mothers is for the health of the developing fetus. Before small amounts of alcohol can be considered safe for pregnant women, much more detailed research is required. For now, it must be assumed that no amount of alcohol can be considered safe for the developing fetus. (PAP)