Women across all socio-demographic groups were likely to drink but those who smoked were up to 50% more likely to consume alcohol while pregnant, the large scale study showed.
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Although most women who drink during pregnancy do so at low levels, those who drink heavily are putting their unborn baby at risk of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), which affects their physical and mental development.
Compared with white women, those of other ethnicities were less likely to drink alcohol while pregnant, while younger women (30-39) were also less likely to do so than older women. The studies variously assessed the amount and type of alcohol drunk before and during pregnancy and involved 17,244 women who delivered live babies in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
Ireland had the highest rates of reported consumption before and during pregnancy, including binge-drinking.
“We don’t know what the safe level of alcohol is in pregnancy, and therefore if we don’t know what the safe level is then we have to say to people, you should abstain during pregnancy”.
For instance, the number of women in Ireland who drank in the first trimester ranged from 20% to 80%, depending on the study from which the data was obtained.
Drinking while pregnant can also lead to miscarriages, and premature or still births and pregnant women are generally advised not to drink.
They found a lower risk of drinking while pregnant in those with a higher level of education, those who had other children, and those who were overweight or obese.
Ireland had the highest prevalence of any alcohol consumption pre-pregnancy (90%) and during pregnancy (82%), and the highest reported binge consumption before (59%) and during (45%) pregnancy.
But seeing as the risks of light drinking were not fully known, they said the widespread consumption of even low levels during pregnancy was a significant public health concern.
“Pregnancy is a time of change and provides the opportunity to change drinking behaviour”.
“Smoking is known to worsen outcomes and the effects are even worse if combined with alcohol consumption. Where midwives are encouraging women to quit smoking they should also ask about alcohol consumption and encourage abstinence during pregnancy”, said Louise Silverton Director for midwifery at the Royal College of Midwives. And there are seriously limited services to support affected infants.
Twelve per cent were still drinking at 20 weeks of pregnancy, but 95 per cent of these were only having one or two units of alcohol weekly at this time.
However, they note the figures may underestimate the true number of pregnant drinkers, because the data excludes women whose pregnancies didn’t make it to term – in some cases, perhaps the result of binge-drinking. They found that between 15 per cent and 70 per cent of the women, drank 1-2 units a week during the first three months (trimester) of their pregnancy.
The findings, published in medical journal BMJ Open, add fuel to an escalating row about the confusing advice offered to pregnant women.
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Speaking on Ireland AM within the last hour, Dr Dam Coulter Smyth – Master at the Rotunda – said in response to the burning question, is it OK for a pregnant woman to have one or two glasses of wine during pregnancy?
