No Amount of Drinking Is Safe During Pregnancy

Doctors May Be Confused, Too

Studies conducted by Sokol and others suggest that moderate drinking during pregnancy and even infrequent binge drinking can lead to impaired IQ and short-term memory, as well as other developmental problems. Moderate drinking is defined as one drink a day in women. The studies also suggest that some women are more susceptible than others.

The advisory calls on doctors to ask their female patients of childbearing age about their alcohol consumption and to advise them of the dangers of drinking during pregnancy.

Craig Stevens, who is a spokesman for the U.S. surgeon general's office, tells WebMD that many doctors may be confused about what to tell their pregnant patients. He points out that only about a quarter of the textbooks used to train ob-gyns published since 1990 recommend abstinence during pregnancy.

"I think many women may think that one or two drinks won't hurt them," Stevens says. "We now know that if a woman binge drinks or abuses alcohol during pregnancy, the possibility of (fetal damage) increases. However, we don't know what, if any, amount of alcohol consumption can be considered safe."

SOURCES: U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory on Alcohol Use in Pregnancy, Feb. 21, 2005. U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, MD, MPH. Robert J. Sokol, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, Wayne State University, Detroit. Craig Stevens, spokesman, U.S. Surgeon General's office.