Drinking and Pregnancy: Do They Mix?
Friday 19th of April 2013 | Category: Pregnancy News | Written by: Alice EdwardsA study reported by BJOG (an International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology) has concluded that light drinking is not harmful to unborn babies, reports the BBC. Light drinking is defined as 2 units of alcohol a week (which is roughly a 175 glass of wine). BJOG studied 10,534 children from when their mothers were pregnant, to when the children were 7 years old. One group of women drank lightly, while the other group abstained altogether.
UK Guidelines, Are They Up to Date?
The results that light drinking is not harmful to unborn babies is in line with current UK government guidelines, which advises pregnant women to stick to no more than 2 units once or twice a week (although the government guidelines also say the safest course is the abstain from drinking alcohol altogether). However, the report from BJOG does have a caveat. Prof Yvonne Kelly, co-author of the study in BJOG said "While we have followed these children for the first seven years of their lives, further research is needed to detect whether any adverse effects from low levels of alcohol consumption in pregnancy emerge later in childhood'. So it still can't be said with absolute certainty that light drinking causes no damage at all to babies while in the womb, but there is no evidence it causes any harmful effects. This should give reassurance to expectant mothers who want to enjoy light drinking within the UK guidelines.
Interestingly, the study showed a small difference in how boys born to light drinkers fared at 7 years old to their counterparts whose mothers abstained from drinking altogether. Boys born to light drinkers had better reading and spatial skills, and fewer behavioural problems. That's not a reason to reach for that glass of wine however, and no-one is suggesting that light drinking could benefit babies. Professor Kelly states that 'when there were differences, they were very small'. It is also likely that the paper didn't account for all possible socio-economic and cultural factors that could affect the results.
What Does It Mean For Me?
So what does this mean for mothers-to-be? Well UK guidelines say it is safer to abstain from alcohol altogether, but how useful is this advice in the light of evidence that shows no harmful effects of light drinking? Recent surveys have found that mothers-to-be find the UK guidelines confusing, stating as they do that it's safer to abstain but also that up to 2 units once or twice a week is unlikely to be harmful. In a recent article The Guardian pontificates that as there is no link between light drinking and behavioural problems, saying women should abstain stigmatises responsible drinkers. I know many mothers who stick to the guidelines for 2 units once or twice a week yet still feel guilty. A pregnant friend of mine had a stranger come up to her at a bar and say 'naughty', while pointing to the small glass of wine she was holding. There is still a huge stigma towards pregnant women drinking, even within the guidelines.
Most mothers-to-be prefer to be informed of the evidence, and then make up their own minds as to whether they will drink lightly or abstain. Linda Geddes, author of Bumpology: The Myth-Busting Pregnancy Book for Curious Parents-to-be believes 'The trouble is that many women are only too aware that their mothers drank small amounts during pregnancy and were OK. Such women may feel patronised by guidelines that say drink nothing, and so turn their back on medical advice altogether. The NHS explains their advice to abstain is because we don't know at what level alcohol consumption becomes harmful to unborn babies, but that too much can have very dangerous effects, and also because some women find it hard to just drink a little and then stop themselves, or don't know how many units are in alcohol, which is why it's safer to abstain. This does seem rather patronising however, and seems to imply pregnant women are both devoid of all will power whatsoever and also ignorant. Many people can't quote correctly how many units are in a certain drink, but a responsible expectant mother who was considering having a drink would look check the units in a drink before deciding whether to drink it. Women who are worried about alcohol consumption might prefer to abstain altogether, and many women don't feel comfortable with drinking any amount of alcohol while pregnant, and that's their choice. The vast majority of women are capable of reviewing the evidence on light drinking during pregnancy, making an informed decision as to what they want to do, and if they do decide to drink, are able to do it responsibly.
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