Don’t drink at all if you’re pregnant

Don’t drink at all if you’re pregnant or even trying to conceive


Women should not drink at all during pregnancy to avoid harming their baby, according to the latest government advice.

Limiting consumption to four units a week will only minimise any risk to the baby — not remove it.

Ministers will also expect the drinks industry to put warnings on bottles and cans about the dangers of drinking while pregnant.

The policy shift was welcomed by charities and doctors who say that even low levels of alcoholic consumption can harm unborn children.

But others said there was no evidence for the change and were concerned the guidance would cause confusion among pregnant women.

The guidance says: "Pregnant women or women trying to conceive should avoid drinking alcohol.

"If they do choose to drink, to minimise the risk to the baby, they should not drink more than one to two units of alcohol once or twice a week and should not get drunk."

It replaces the old guidance issued in 1999, which said, "pregnant women or women trying to conceive should not drink more than one to two units of alcohol once or twice a week and should avoid getting drunk". Women who are trying for a baby should also abstain from drinking because they will not know for several weeks whether they are pregnant or not.

In an apparent contradiction, the government also insists women who have followed previous guidance have not put their babies at risk. The Health Department says it does not want to alarm those who had followed the previous guidance.

A spokesperson said the department had changed its advice to err on the side of caution and because of fears that women were misinterpreting the previous guidelines and were drinking more than they should.

Deputy chief medical officer Dr Fiona Adshead says, "We have strengthened our advice to help ensure that no one underestimates the risk to the developing foetus of drinking above the recommended safe levels. Our advice is simple: Avoid alcohol if pregnant or trying to conceive. This advice could also be included on alcohol packaging or labels."

However, Sarah Hart, editor of Pregnancy and Birth magazine, says it is. "The message is don't drink more than two drinks and, at the same time, women should avoid alcohol," she expresses.

"It's not been well communicated probably because, although evidence shows heavy drinking is damaging to the foetus, it isn't there for minimal drinking.

"It's a common worry for women, especially if they have been drinking before they knew they were pregnant."

Two thirds of expectant mothers admit to drinking during pregnancy, and one in 20 say they regularly exceed the present limit. Some scientists claim that even very small amounts of alcohol could result in foetal alcohol syndrome, which causes problems including low birth weight, short stature, flattened features, heart and kidney abnormalities, deafness and brain damage leading to poor hand-to-eye coordination and behavioural difficulties. It affects one in 1,000 babies and is the leading cause of retardation in the western world.

A milder form of the condition called Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder has also come to light. It causes attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity and poor coordination. American research has shown that one in 100 unborn babies contract the disorder.

source:- mumbai mirror