Abstract
Most studies of alcohol consumption in pregnancy have looked at one time point only, often relying on recall. The aim of this longitudinal study was to determine whether alcohol consumption changes in early and late pregnancy and whether this affects perinatal outcomes. We performed a prospective cohort study, conducted from November 2010 to December 2011 at a teaching hospital in the Republic of Ireland. Of the 907 women with a singleton pregnancy who booked for antenatal care and delivered at the hospital, 185 (20%) abstained from alcohol in the first trimester but drank in the third trimester, 105 (12%) consumed alcohol in the first and third trimesters, and the remaining 617 (68%) consumed no alcohol in pregnancy. Factors associated with continuing to drink in pregnancy included older maternal age (30–39 years), Irish nationality, private healthcare, smoking, and a history of illicit drug use. Compared to pre-pregnancy, alcohol consumption in pregnancy was markedly reduced, with the majority of drinkers consuming ≤ 5 units per week (92% in first trimester, 72–75% in third trimester). Perhaps because of this, perinatal outcomes were similar for non-drinkers, women who abstained from alcohol in the first trimester, and women who drank in the first and third trimester of pregnancy. Most women moderate their alcohol consumption in pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, and have perinatal outcomes similar to those who abstain.
Highlights
Many women consume alcohol in pregnancy despite concerns that there may be risks to the developing fetus [1,2,3]
Moderate to heavy alcohol consumption has been associated with a number of adverse perinatal outcomes including preterm birth, low birth weight and intrauterine growth restriction [3,4,5,6]
The study cohort was comparable to the general hospital population [12,13] there was a higher proportion of non-Irish participants and lower proportion of private patients
Summary
Many women consume alcohol in pregnancy despite concerns that there may be risks to the developing fetus [1,2,3]. Results are inconsistent for low-level alcohol consumption [7,8]. Binge-drinking is an increasingly common behavior among women of reproductive age and is likely to be associated with unplanned pregnancy, raising further concern about inadvertent high level alcohol exposure in early pregnancy [9,10]. The Department of Health in Ireland advises that alcohol should be avoided in pregnancy. The Surgeon General in The United States goes further advising avoidance of alcohol both in pregnancy and when planning a pregnancy.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
