Some of my patients who are pregnant don’t see any harm in having an occasional drink. What’s the latest advice?
Some pregnant women may not be aware of the risks involved with drinking, while others may drink before they realize they’re pregnant. A recent survey estimates that 1 in 10 pregnant women in the United States drinks alcohol.34 In addition, among sexually active women who aren’t using birth control, more than half drink and 12.4 percent report binge drinking, placing them at particularly high risk for an alcohol-exposed pregnancy.34 Each year, an estimated 2,000 to 8,000 infants are born with fetal alcohol syndrome in the United States, and many thousands more are born with some degree of alcohol-related effects.35 These problems range from mild learning and behavioral problems to growth deficiencies to severe mental and physical impairment. Together, these adverse effects comprise fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Because it isn’t known whether any amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy, the Surgeon General recently reissued an advisory that urges women who are or may become pregn
Some pregnant women may not be aware of the risks involved with drinking, while others may drink before they realize they’re pregnant. A recent survey estimates that 1 in 10 pregnant women in the United States drinks alcohol. In addition, among sexually active women who aren’t using birth control, more than half drink and 12.4 percent report binge drinking, placing them at particularly high risk for an alcohol-exposed pregnancy. Each year, an estimated 2,000 to 8,000 infants are born with fetal alcohol syndrome in the United States, and many thousands more are born with some degree of alcohol-related effects. These problems range from mild learning and behavioral problems to growth deficiencies to severe mental and physical impairment. Together, these adverse effects comprise fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Because it isn’t known whether any amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy, the Surgeon General recently reissued an advisory that urges women who are or may become pregnant to
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