Is it safe to drink small amounts of alcohol during pregnancy? The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE or) the allegations recently that pregnant women can drink up to 1.5 units of alcohol (or a small glass and half of wine) without harming the unborn child. This comes after the Ministry of Health recommends that pregnant women should abstain from drinking entirely. Thus, between these sets of conflicting advice, which is the truth?
A draft document, NICE claims that the evidence is unclear after the Ministry of Health recommendation to avoid alcohol during pregnancy. NICE advisers, including doctors and midwives, came to this conclusion after reviewing numerous studies on alcohol during pregnancy. They argue that, even if it may possibly increase the risk of miscarriage, it appears that small amounts of alcohol does not harm an unborn baby. They suggest that instead of cutting the total alcohol, pregnant women should limit their consumption to 1.5 units per day and avoid it during the first three months of pregnancy.
However, the Ministry of Health continues to recommend that women avoid alcohol completely if pregnant or trying to conceive because it is "simple" and "simple". Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is not without risk for fetal alcohol syndrome, which causes low birth weight, flattened features, heart and kidney abnormalities, deafness and brain damage. The less serious causes of fetal alcohol attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity and lack of coordination. Experts recommend that women who insist on drinking during pregnancy should be counseled about their consumption and that abstinence is the 'safest option.
Posted on April 7, 2010.
