Alcohol & Pregnancy: “Don’t Do IT”
CNN reported today that a new study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics has put a very clear message out about drinking during pregnancy: “Don’t do it. Ever. At all. Not even a tiny bit. No amount of alcohol should be considered safe to drink during any trimester of pregnancy.”
The AAP cites several effects of drinking alcohol during pregnancy, mainly birth defects and cognitive problems later in life. Further, according to CNN.com, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also advise pregnant women to stay away from alcohol. In fact, an epidemiologist at the CDC, Dr. Cheryl Tan, advises, “There is no safe amount, no safe time, and no safe type of alcohol to drink during pregnancy. It’s just not worth the risk.”
Sadly, a different study recently conducted by Tan showed that during 2011-2013, one in 10 pregnant women reported consuming alcohol in the past 30 days and one in 33 reported binge drinking. Also, women who drank in their first trimester were 12 times more likely to have a child with these issues, compared to women who didn’t drink at all. First- and second-trimester drinking increased the risk 61 times, and women who drank during all trimesters increased the risk by a factor of 65.
Although previous studies have indicated that when women drink during pregnancy their babies show no problems with behavioral or intellectual development or balance tasks, this recent study emphasizes that the smartest choice is “to just abstain from alcohol completely.”
Source: cnn.com