One in 10 women aged 18-44 years consumes alcohol during pregnancy, putting her baby at risk of physical and behavioral problems known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) and other pregnancy problems such as miscarriage, stillbirth, and prematurity. Women who are pregnant or who might be pregnant should avoid drinking alcohol because there is no known safe amount, no safe time, and no safe type of alcohol to drink during pregnancy.
One in 10 (10.2 percent ) pregnant women aged 18-44 years in the United States reports drinking alcohol in the past 30 days and 3.1 percent (1 in 33) reports binge drinking – defined as 4 or more alcoholic beverages on one occasion. Using the 2011-2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data, the study also found that among binge drinkers, pregnant women reported a significantly higher frequency of binge drinking than non-pregnant women (4.6 and 3.1 episodes respectively).
Healthcare professionals can help reduce alcohol consumption among pregnant and nonpregnant women who misuse alcohol by implementing alcohol screening and brief intervention in their primary care practices, and informing women that there is no known safe level of alcohol consumption when they are pregnant or might be pregnant.