Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can have serious consequences for the developing baby. Even small amounts of alcohol can harm the fetus and lead to lifelong health problems. Many women worry about alcohol they may have consumed before learning they were pregnant. While it’s best to stop drinking as soon as possible, early exposure doesn’t always cause issues. For example, this 2014 study looked at 1,303 pregnant women in the United Kingdom and their alcohol consumption before pregnancy and during all three trimesters.
Adverse Maternal Outcomes From Alcohol Consumption
Eastern time Monday through Friday via phone or by completing an online support request form. Researchers and clinicians describe a teratogen as a substance that interrupts the process of normal development in the fetus during pregnancy. The developing fetus is sensitive to numerous teratogens, and varying exposures at specific levels of development can often affect different aspects of development. The development of the central nervous system in the fetus is extremely vulnerable to teratogens early in development.
Don’t drink alcohol if you’re pregnant, trying to get pregnant or think you may be pregnant.
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
American Heart Month—Another Opportunity To Examine Your Relationship with Alcohol
Your baby’s brain, heart and blood vessels begin to develop in the early weeks of pregnancy, before you may know you’re pregnant. Health professionals use these guidelines to educate patients about the risks of drinking while pregnant. They explain how alcohol can harm the developing fetus, especially its central nervous system.
How Does Alcohol Affect Birth Control?
Other physical signs that go along with fetal alcohol syndrome include a small head, short nose, and problems with the way the heart or the joints are formed. CDC works with partners across the country to address alcohol and other substance use during pregnancy and FASDs. These scientific findings help inform evidence-based care and resources. They collaborate to provide training to healthcare professionals and disseminate updated information. The most important thing is that you have completely stopped alcohol use after learning of your pregnancy. It is never too late to stop alcohol use during pregnancy.
Numerous reliable sources and studies (like the one we mentioned above) mention that alcohol use in the first trimester may increase miscarriage risk. It’s an incredibly difficult reality that miscarriages are as common as they are. And even if you do everything by the book, the highest risk of miscarriage is in the first trimester — and it often happens due to issues outside of your control (like chromosomal abnormalities). In one 2015 study done in mice, researchers gave the animals alcohol at 8 days gestation — roughly equivalent to the early fourth week in a human pregnancy. They found that the offspring of these mice had changes to their brain structure.
- Those with alcohol-related birth defect can have structuralabnormalities of the heart, kidneys, and bones.
- Drinking in the second trimester can still harm fetal development.
- The sooner you get help, the better life will be for you and your baby.
- This is why binge drinking is so bad, but it also illustrates why negative effects of light drinking do not follow directly from negative effects of heavy drinking.
- NIDA supports more than 85% of the world’s research on the health aspects of drug use and addiction.
Those who opt to give up alcohol may miss unwinding with a cocktail, but Archie thinks they won’t regret being cautious. One might confide that they enjoyed the occasional beer during their pregnancy and feels their child turned out fine, while another sees this as taking an unnecessary risk. This software, supported by CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, generates estimates of alcohol-related deaths and Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) due to alcohol consumption. FASD United provides a variety of supports and resources for people experiencing prenatal substance use and FASDs. This page has links to resources related to excessive alcohol use, including alcohol use during pregnancy, and where to go for help.
Heavy drinking poses the highest danger, but even small amounts can be harmful. The best way to prevent FASDs is to avoid alcohol completely while pregnant or trying to get pregnant. It’s not really about the harm done by what you drink before you’re even pregnant (though this may affect your ability to alcohol during pregnancy conceive). It’s that no amount of alcohol at any point in pregnancy has been absolutely proven to be safe. And if you’re concerned that you are drinking too much and feel that you cannot stop — during your pregnancy or at any other time — talk with your doctor. It’s also difficult to predict the impact of drinking on any given pregnancy because some women have higher levels of the enzyme that breaks down alcohol.
Because brain growth takes place throughout pregnancy, stopping alcohol use will improve the baby’s health and well-being. If a pregnant woman attempts to withdraw from alcohol without medical help, she can place herself and her baby at risk. Women who are dependent on alcohol may need specialized counseling and medical supervision while they withdraw. If you are addicted to alcohol and you are pregnant, or you are what is alcoholism thinking about getting pregnant, it is not too late to get help.
This website offers publications, research, training, and resources related to drug use and addiction. Alcoholics Anonymous® is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The following are answers to common questions about alcohol and pregnancy.
