Alcohol and Pregnancy

Alcohol and Pregnant Women

The Government and NICE release new guidelines

Pregnant women and those who are trying for a baby should avoid alcohol completely, according to new government advice.

The new advice from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) replaces previous advice that stated,

“Excess alcohol has an adverse effect on the foetus. Therefore it is suggested that women limit alcohol consumption to no more than one standard unit per day. Each of the following constitutes one ‘unit’ of alcohol: a single measure of spirits, one small glass of wine, and a half pint of ordinary strength beer, lager or cider.”

Experts now recommend that alcohol should be avoided during the first three months of pregnancy because of an increased risk of miscarriage. Women who choose to continue drinking while pregnant should have no more than one to two units once or twice a week as there is no evidence of any harm to the unborn child at these levels. The guidance actually states that women who are pregnant or trying to conceive should ideally abstain from alcohol.

The change follows concern from some sectors that there is no safe amount of alcohol that mothers-to-be can drink.

The problem with all of these guidelines is that while heavy alcohol consumption during pregnancy is known to be damaging to the unborn child, the effects of more moderate intake are less clear.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists says there is no evidence that a couple of units once or twice a week will do any harm to the baby. The Department of Health said the revision was not based on new scientific evidence but was needed to help ensure that women did not underestimate the risks to their baby.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Fiona Adshead said: “We have strengthened our advice to women to help ensure that no-one underestimates the risk to the developing foetus of drinking above the recommended safe levels.

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