Alcohol consumption in pregnancy. How much is safe?
Nine hundred and seventy-three white women attending an antenatal clinic completed a questionnaire on parity, social class, smoking habits, and consumption of alcohol and coffee. Forty-nine per cent said they were non-drinkers and none of their babies had a major congenital abnormalities; whereas 1.2% of the babies of the women who did consume alcohol had major abnormalities. The babies of women who said they drank more than an average of 20 ml alcohol a day had significantly smaller head circumferences than the babies of non-drinkers in some gestational age groups. Maternal serum gamma-glutamyltransferase levels predicted abnormal fetal outcome in the 3 women in whom they were raised. There is no safe level of alcohol consumption in pregnancy and even moderate 'social' drinking is associated with abnormal fetal outcome.
D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001724:Birth Weight; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000209:etiology*; D012907:Smoking