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11/03/2014
The research, which has been carried out by the University of Leeds and published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, also revealed that it does not take a lot of alcohol to make a difference.
Currently, the Department of Health recommends that women who are pregnant or who are trying to conceive should abstain from alcohol. If a woman does wish to drink however, she is advised to have no more than one to two units of alcohol once or twice a week.
Yet, according to this new study, it is thought that just two weekly units could make a significant difference when it comes to the birth.
The findings were based on responses to food frequency questionnaires by 1,264 women at low risk of birth complications in Leeds. All the women were part of the Caffeine and Reproductive Health (CARE) study, looking into links between diet and birth outcomes.
Some 13% of the babies born were underweight, and 4.4% were smaller than would be expected, while a similar proportion (4.3%) were born prematurely.
Drinking during the first three months of pregnancy was most strongly linked to these outcomes.
The mums-to-be were asked to identify how often they drank, as well as what type of alcohol they consumed, at four different occasions – in the four weeks before conception, and in each of the subsequent trimesters in their pregnancy.
It was revealed that alcohol consumption was significantly higher before conception and in the first three months of pregnancy than in the subsequent two trimesters, with consumption rates averaging 11 units in the first trimester, four in the second and just under two units a week in the final trimester.
More than half (53%) of women drank more than the recommended maximum two weekly units during the first trimester, and almost four in 10 said they drank more than 10 units a week in the period leading up to conception.
Professor Janet Cade from the University of Leeds' School of Science and Food Nutrition said: "Since pregnancy is such a special time for women it would be sensible for anyone who is thinking about getting pregnant to avoid alcohol during that time."
Dr Patrick O'Brien, spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), also commented on the report. He said: "The findings suggest that even small amounts of alcohol in the first three months of pregnancy may increase the risk of a small impairment to the baby's growth and possibly premature birth.
"This is consistent with RCOG advice that if a woman falls pregnant she should abstain from alcohol during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy because this is a particularly sensitive time for the baby's development.
"However, 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."
(JP)
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Light Drinking Is A Preterm Risk - Study
Women who drink alcohol during the first three months of their pregnancy, are at a higher risk of delivering a premature or small baby, a new study has claimed.The research, which has been carried out by the University of Leeds and published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, also revealed that it does not take a lot of alcohol to make a difference.
Currently, the Department of Health recommends that women who are pregnant or who are trying to conceive should abstain from alcohol. If a woman does wish to drink however, she is advised to have no more than one to two units of alcohol once or twice a week.
Yet, according to this new study, it is thought that just two weekly units could make a significant difference when it comes to the birth.
The findings were based on responses to food frequency questionnaires by 1,264 women at low risk of birth complications in Leeds. All the women were part of the Caffeine and Reproductive Health (CARE) study, looking into links between diet and birth outcomes.
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Some 13% of the babies born were underweight, and 4.4% were smaller than would be expected, while a similar proportion (4.3%) were born prematurely.
Drinking during the first three months of pregnancy was most strongly linked to these outcomes.
The mums-to-be were asked to identify how often they drank, as well as what type of alcohol they consumed, at four different occasions – in the four weeks before conception, and in each of the subsequent trimesters in their pregnancy.
It was revealed that alcohol consumption was significantly higher before conception and in the first three months of pregnancy than in the subsequent two trimesters, with consumption rates averaging 11 units in the first trimester, four in the second and just under two units a week in the final trimester.
More than half (53%) of women drank more than the recommended maximum two weekly units during the first trimester, and almost four in 10 said they drank more than 10 units a week in the period leading up to conception.
Professor Janet Cade from the University of Leeds' School of Science and Food Nutrition said: "Since pregnancy is such a special time for women it would be sensible for anyone who is thinking about getting pregnant to avoid alcohol during that time."
Dr Patrick O'Brien, spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), also commented on the report. He said: "The findings suggest that even small amounts of alcohol in the first three months of pregnancy may increase the risk of a small impairment to the baby's growth and possibly premature birth.
"This is consistent with RCOG advice that if a woman falls pregnant she should abstain from alcohol during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy because this is a particularly sensitive time for the baby's development.
"However, 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."
(JP)
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