is it worth it?

ALMOST half of women continue drinking alcohol through pregnancy, and older, wealthier, well-educated women are the worst culprits.

A national study of pregnancy also found that 20 per cent of expectant mothers smoke cigarettes daily — many heavily. Five per cent continue smoking marijuana and 2 per cent indulge in harder drugs.

The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre study is the latest to highlight high drinking rates, with 47 per cent of women consuming alcohol during pregnancy and breast-feeding.

Although most women drank less than usual during this time, lead researcher Cate Wallace said it was clear that messages about the dangers of the practice were not getting through.

Tertiary-educated, older, English-speaking women on higher incomes were the most likely to drink, Ms Wallace said.

The Australian guidelines, which recommend pregnant women consume fewer than seven standard drinks a week and no more than two drinks a day, are under review.

"We know high levels are very harmful but we don't know how little alcohol is too much," Ms Wallace said.

The study was based on data in the 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey and involved about 7500 women aged 14 to 49, including 1000 who were pregnant.

It showed that 25 per cent of non-pregnant women smoked cigarettes, and an alarming 20 per cent of pregnant women also smoked. Almost all of these (19 per cent) smoked daily, and seven out of ten of them smoked 10 or more cigarettes a day.

AAP

foetal alcohol syndrome (fas)

Alcohol intake by women during pregnancy can seriously affect the health and development of their unborn children. During pregnancy, alcohol passes through the placenta to the baby and may cause problems such as bleeding, miscarriage, premature birth and feotal alcohol syndrome (FAS).

FAS is a condition caused by alcohol use or misuse during pregnancy at a time when the baby’s brain is developing. It is identified by visible signs at birth including below-average weight and unusual facial features. The criteria for diagnosis includes growth retardation, characteristic facial features, microcephaly, and central nervous system abnormalities (including intellectual impairment).

drinking guidelines

The intellectual impairment associated with FAS is permanent and is regarded as the leading, preventable cause of non-genetic intellectual handicap. The severity of the syndrome is related to the alcohol dose consumed. Some research shows this effect is observed at levels as low as one drink per week.

At this stage it is not known whether there is a safe period during the pregnancy when alcohol may be consumed without harm to the foetus. The World Health Organization suggests that there is no safe level of drinking alcohol during pregnancy and that the safest approach is not to consume alcohol during pregnancy. It has been found that just one or two drinks a day during early pregnancy may be just as damaging to the foetus as exposing the foetus to alcohol throughout the pregnancy. Because this effect may happen before the pregnancy is discovered, the WHO advocates education of women before and during pregnancy, and especially those who are considering pregnancy.

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