Q: "I've just found out I'm pregnant - do I need to completely stop drinking alcohol? I'm confused about what effect drinking might have on my unborn child."
A: Dr Colin Carter is a paediatrics instructor at Harvard Medical School in the USA who led a recent study into the effect of a mother's drinking in pregnancy on the size of her baby.
He says: "Decades of research have shown that drinking alcohol during pregnancy has a range of negative consequences on the developing foetus, including lower IQ, cognitive and structural brain deficits, and growth restriction.
"In our study we found that children born to women who drank heavily during pregnancy –four or more drinks per day or four or more drinks per occasion – were smaller in weight, height, and head circumference (an indicator of brain growth) than children whose mothers abstained or drank at very low levels.
"These growth deficits were present at birth and persisted through childhood, suggesting the effects may be permanent. No study has been able to identify a safe level of drinking. Several studies have shown that binge drinking (drinking to the point of intoxication, for example) is particularly harmful. While our recent study only looked at heavy drinking, in another forthcoming study in Detroit, USA, we found similar effects of drinking during pregnancy on growth among children born to women who drank at least once per month on average, and several studies have shown negative effects of moderate levels of drinking on infant cognitive function.
"Furthermore, there are other factors that may make the developing foetus more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol. In our study, the effects of alcohol on growth were much more severe if the child had iron deficiency anaemia as an infant, a very common condition.
"Other studies have shown that differences in genetics and maternal nutrition may have a significant impact. Since the same amount of drinking may have different effects on children born to different mothers, it's safest to abstain.”
