Pregnant women are drinking more alcohol than they should in the early weeks of pregnancy – and putting their children at risk, researchers warn today.
And the risks afflict the British middle classes more than others, researchers say.
A new study links drinking in the early stages of pregnancy to babies being born prematurely and small.
Almost 40% of women in the study were drinking at least ten units a week – equivalent to nearly two bottles of wine – just before they became pregnant.
Researchers studied some 1,264 women in Leeds, Yorkshire, UK, for the research reported in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
The findings will add to the debate on whether women should be "allowed" to drink during pregnancy.
Some experts have said there is no evidence that small amounts of alcohol do harm – but the researchers say that women who drank small amounts increased the risk of pregnancy problems.
And those who had more than two units of alcohol a week – equivalent to two small glasses of wine – doubled the risk of problems. These women were more likely than others to have degrees and live in affluent areas.
Some 53% of women admitted to reaching this level of drinking during the first three months of pregnancy.
Researcher Professor Janet Cade, of Leeds University, writes: "Our results highlight the need for endorsing the abstinence-only message, and further illuminate how timing of exposure is important in the association of alcohol with birth outcomes, with the first trimester being the most vulnerable period.”
Dr Patrick O’Brien, of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said the college advised that women should not drink in the first three months of pregnancy.
He added: “While the safest approach would be to choose not to drink at all, small amounts of alcohol, not more than one to two units once or twice a week, have not been shown to be harmful after 12 weeks of pregnancy.
“Pregnant women should always consult their midwives or doctors if they have any concerns about their alcohol intake.”
Maternal alcohol intake prior to and during pregnancy and risk of adverse birth outcomes: evidence from a British cohort Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 11 March 2014; doi: 10.1136/jech-2013-202934
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