Pregnancy and Alcohol

Why should I not drink when I am pregnant?

Advice from the Department of Health is that you should not drink at all if you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant. It is known that if you drink heavily you have an increased risk of miscarriage, and it may cause serious harm to the baby's growth and brain development.

For example, studies have shown that:

• Pregnant women who drink more than 15 units a week have an increased risk of having a baby with a low birth weight.
• Pregnant women who drink more than 20 units a week have an increased risk of having a baby with some damage to the brain causing impaired intellect.
• Pregnant women who drink very heavily risk having a baby with foetal alcohol syndrome. Babies with this syndrome have brain damage, a low birth weight, and facial malformations.

However, the exact amount of alcohol that is safe during pregnancy is not known. This is why the advice is not to drink at all. The very early stages of pregnancy may be the most vulnerable time. This is why it is just as important to not drink alcohol when you are trying to become pregnant.

If you do chose to drink alcohol when you are pregnant then limit it to one or two units, once or twice a week. And never get drunk.

What is a unit of alcohol?

One unit of alcohol is in about half a pint of beer, or two thirds of a small glass of wine, or one small pub measure of spirits. See separate leaflet called 'Alcohol and Sensible Drinking' for details.

Further information

If you find it difficult to stop drinking alcohol, then seek advice and help from your practice nurse, midwife or GP.

See separate leaflets in this series called Alcohol - Recommended Limits, Alcohol and Liver Disease, Alcohol and Sensible Drinking, Alcoholism and Problem Drinking. Other sources of information include the following:

Department of Health

The Pregnancy Book
Go to their website - www.dh.gov.uk - and search for 'Pregnancy Book'.

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Produce an information booklet called 'Alcohol and pregnancy - information for you'
Web: www.rcog.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=1816

NOFAS-UK - National Organisation on Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Tel (helpline): 08700 333 700 Web: www.nofas-uk.org
Promotes awareness about the risks of alcohol consumption during pregnancy with the goal to reduce the number of babies being born with foetal alcohol syndrome.