The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has long warned women not to drink during pregnancy, and now the agency is focusing its efforts on those who might get pregnant. But even setting that aside-and the gross insinuation that women are somehow to blame for “injuries/violence” they may encounter when drinking (I mean, nice rape myth, champ!)-there’s this: The CDC warning states that drinking too much can cause “sexually transmitted diseases”, which CAN ACTUALLY BE INTERPRETED TO SUGGEST THAT GONORRHEA IS TRANSMITTED BY BOOZE ITSELF.
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A new study faces a backlash after saying that millions of women are at risk of exposing their babies to alcohol – because they are drinking and not using birth control.
The CDC is now recommending all sexually active women of childbearing age avoid alcohol completely unless they’re using birth control or a contraceptive. “I think it’s up to you”.
Five levels of disorder fall within the spectrum: the milder fetal alcohol effects, then alcohol related birth defects, alcohol related neurodevelopmental disorder, partial fetal alcohol syndrome and the most severe, fetal alcohol syndrome. The risk is real.
The problem with CDC’s public health communication report, however, is that the seemingly vague recommendation has been largely interpreted as an outrageous mandate for all non-pregnant adult women of reproductive age to quit drinking to save the lives of some unborn theoretical babies. “But with this report, the CDC is scaring and shaming a whole new class of women”, writes Zadrozny. Some ob-gyns actually recommend that you drink a little during this time for two reasons: It’s a de-stressor (and a little vino here and there can help take the pressure off) and it can take a while to actually get pregnant, so you may embark on months-even a year-of sobriety for nothing.
The official recommendation of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is that “no amount of alcohol consumption can be considered safe during pregnancy“. No, I’m sorry, but nobody is going to institute an era of Prohibition on my womb (and I’m not even a drinker!). The logic here, apparently, is that these women _might _get pregnant, and any amount of alcohol could damage the fetus.
The graphic further states that drinking can cause “any woman” to suffer from injury or violence – another oversimplification that leaves far too much room for interpretation.
Here’s the thing. Women are more than just vessels for pregnancy. The analysis of the data showed that three in four women who were ready to conceive as soon as possible reported they continued to consume alcohol. So, if you could be pregnant, you should not drink.
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The risks of drinking during pregnancy include miscarriage, stillbirth and foetal alcohol syndrome. Substance abuse and fetal alcohol syndrome are obviously important subjects that should be taken seriously by caregivers and patients alike, but for me at least, these guidelines seem unrealistic and condescending.
