Any amount of alcohol during pregnancy is harmful
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Scientists have conducted a study that showed that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. The results of the study are published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
Fetal alcohol syndrome is a syndrome characterized by a delay in physical and mental development in children whose mothers have consumed alcohol during pregnancy.
Effect of alcohol on the fetus
Serious fetal alcohol syndrome is characterized by a lack of a deepening between the nose and upper lip, the presence of a thin bright red border between the lip and skin (thin upper lip), short eye slits, microcephaly and a delay in the addition of weight and growth.
The author of the study, Feldman, said that in this study they were able to overcome two key problems in the study of fetal alcohol syndrome.
First, FAS research often depends on what mothers say about alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Sourcing data, therefore, are questioned due to inaccuracies in the information provided, which leads to distortion of these results.
Feldman said that they overcame the problem of collecting true data on the state of pregnancy, doses and the type of alcohol consumed thanks to qualified professionals who built trust with women and guaranteed confidentiality.
Another difficulty in the study of fetal alcohol syndrome is the determination of signs in newborns. This requires careful study of specific physical features: "These alcohol-related features are often not noticeable, and a layman can miss them, especially if he does not suspect or does not know about the use of alcohol by a mother during pregnancy (prenatal exposure to alcohol)," said Feldman.
To overcome this difficulty, an expert in dysmorphology took part in the study, which passed the appropriate courses on the detection of physical abnormalities.
In this study, 992 women participated in the period from 1978 to 2005. Scientists have analyzed data on the form of alcohol use, the time and dose of exposure to alcohol during pregnancy.
The duration of the exposure was evaluated on a scale from zero to six weeks after conception, from six to twelve weeks after conception, and during the first, second and third trimesters.
The results of the study showed that:
- The early prenatal exposure to alcohol was largely due to the increased risk of having a baby with a low birth weight or microcephaly.
- The most significant connection was in the second half of the first trimester. During this period of pregnancy, one alcoholic drink per day increased the risk of developing a smooth septum by 25%, thin upper lip - 22%, microcephaly - 12%, reduced birth weight - 16% and reduction of fetal size - 18%.
"Women should continue to refrain from drinking alcohol, from conception and throughout pregnancy," scientists added.
Feldman says that they did not find a link between alcohol consumption during the first half of the first trimester and FAS. But, in doing so, he adds, one should not think that drinking alcohol during this stage of pregnancy is safe, since the study only took into account live-borns and did not include women who had a miscarriage.
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