Pregnant women shouldn’t drink at all during pregnancy, according to a new report that rebuts a long-held belief that a small amount of alcohol is safe.
The American Academy of Pediatrics said in a report Monday that any amount of alcohol during any trimester of pregnancy increases the chances of birth defects.
The report comes after a recent government survey showed that one in 10 pregnant women drink alcohol during pregnancy, with some binge drinking.
The group’s report focused on a growing body of research on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, which encompass a wide range of effects that may occur to a child when a woman drinks during pregnancy.
The disorders are linked to a higher chance of getting attention deficit disorder and several learning disabilities such as poor memory or problem-solving skills, the report said.
Drinking during any trimester increases the chances of a child coming down with a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. For instance, first-trimester drinking compared with no drinking increases the chance by 12 times a woman will give birth to a child with the disorder, the group said.
Second-trimester drinking increases the odds by 61 times and third trimester by 65 times.
“The research suggests that the smartest choice for women who are pregnant is to just abstain from alcohol completely,” said Dr. Janet Williams, one of the report’s lead authors.
The findings come in the wake of a survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that found about one in 10 pregnant women drink alcohol. In addition, about 3 percent of pregnant women ages 18 to 44 binge drink, which is defined as four or more drinks in a single setting.
