Alcohol consumption during pregnancy has long been known to be linked to the potential for health problems in newborns. So federal researchers were surprised to find that a significant minority of pregnant women say they drink now and then – with some acknowledging occasional bouts of binge drinking.
In a survey by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control of 8,000 pregnant women, reported by NBC News, ten percent stated they had taken a drink in the past thirty days, with a third of those saying they had four or more drinks in a sitting, which is considered binge drinking. Older pregnant women between the ages of 35 to 33 were even more likely to be drinking, with 19% saying they had been drinking in the past thirty days. The survey found that pregnant women who acknowledged binge drinking also had more episodes per month of binge drinking than non-pregnant women who admitted binge drinking.
Alcohol intake during pregnancy can lead to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and other health problems in newborns, with the potential for later physical, behavioral and learning problems.
The federal researchers also noted that many women may not realize they are pregnant during the first weeks of a pregnancy, and that some women could be reluctant to report truthfully about their drinking, suggesting that the survey likely undercounts the extent of the problem.