New study confirms link between alcohol and birth defects
New research from Perth's Telethon Institute for Child Health Research has shown that women who drink heavily in the first trimester of pregnancy are four times more likely to have a child with certain types of birth defects.
Heavy drinking is classified as more than seven standard drinks in a week. A standard drink is just 100ml of wine.
Study author Dr Colleen O'Leary said the findings, which were published in the latest edition of the international journal Pediatrics, reinforced the need for health professionals to discuss alcohol use with women who are pregnant or of childbearing age.
"Nearly half of the pregnancies in the group of women in this study were unplanned which means heavy exposure can happen before a woman is aware she is pregnant," Dr O'Leary said.
"This means that prevention strategies will need to target not only pregnant women but also drinking at harmful levels and unplanned pregnancies among all women of child bearing age."
The analysis was based on data drawn from a randomly selected cohort of more than 4700 non-indigenous women who gave birth in WA between 1995 and 1997.
Dr O'Leary said the analysis showed no link between low alcohol exposure in pregnancy and birth defects.
"While this finding may provide some reassurance to mothers who unknowingly consumed alcohol before they knew they were pregnant, the best advice is still to follow the national guidelines that advise expecting mums to avoid alcohol in pregnancy," Dr O'Leary said.
The study was supported by a program grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council and Healthway.
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