Drinking Before Pregnancy Still Hurts Unborn Children

Most mothers know well enough not to drink alcohol during pregnancy for the sake of their child, but according to new research even drinking directly prior to conception can influence a baby's birth.

A study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health has found evidence that indicates that alcohol consumption within and around the first trimester of birth is when a developing fetus is most sensitive to the effects of alcohol. Both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.K. Department of Health already recommend that women who are pregnant or suspect being pregnant should immediately stop drinking any alcohol. U.K. guidelines also indicate that women trying to become pregnant or who are already pregnant should limit alcohol consumption to no more than one to two units a week -- that's less than a single glass of wine.

However, according to the study, this limit is not enough to protect unborn children from the adverse effects of alcohol. The study, which surveyed more than 1,200 pregnant women in the United Kingdom, found that women who drank more than two units of alcohol a week directly prior to and during the first three months of pregnancy were twice as likely to have a premature or small baby, compared to those who did not drink at all.

According to the study 53 percent of the women surveyed admitted to having drunk more than two units of alcohol a week during the first three weeks of pregnancy. Approximately 40 percent of the survey participants also admitted to having drunk more than 10 units of alcohol a week prior to conceiving their child.

These habits resulted in about 13 percent of the women surveyed giving birth to underweight children. More than four percent of the children were also smaller than normal and 4.3 percent were born prematurely.

Interestingly, researchers pointed out that women who drank even less than two units a week (a few sips of wine even) during the first trimester were more likely to have a premature baby, compared to those who did not drink at all.

The study concluded with researchers urging women even thinking about conceiving soon to avoid alcohol at all costs.

The study was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health on March 10.