Irish Wedding News
07/10/2014
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) has hit out at reports that just one episode of binge drinking when a woman is pregnant can harm her baby.
In a statement, the charity said the claims are causing "serious and unnecessary distress".
It added that it is now regularly seeing women who are worried they have harmed their baby, before they knew they were pregnant, following an episode of binge drinking. As a result, some of these women consider terminating an otherwise wanted pregnancy.
Binge drinking, can be defined by consuming six or more units – three glasses of wine – in one sitting, and there are times when a woman can binge not knowing she is pregnant. However, warnings from various studies that even a small quantity of alcohol can lead to birth defects, facial deformities and learning difficulties in babies can cause mothers-to-be to worry, and who are increasingly seeking advice from BPAS about whether to continue or end the pregnancy.
In its response, the charity referred to a study published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (BJOG) in 2012, which found no evidence that episodic binge drinking in the early stages of pregnancy impact upon a child's cognitive abilities by the age of five.
BPAS added that women are still advised to follow NICE guidance and, if possible, avoid drinking alcohol in the first three months of pregnancy as it could increase the risk of miscarriage. Throughout the remainder of their pregnancy, they are advised to stick to one or two units – a glass of wine – once or twice a week.
Ann Furedi, Chief Executive of the BPAS, said: "BPAS supports women's reproductive choices and provides safe, legal abortion care to women with unwanted pregnancies. It concerns us greatly when women with wanted pregnancies are driven to consider abortion because they needlessly fear their behaviour has damaged their baby.
"Women should be reassured that the odd night of heavy drinking before they found out they were pregnant is extremely unlikely to have caused their baby harm. Pregnant women don't need scare stories but impartial, evidence-based information, and they should be trusted to make the choices that are right for them."
(JP/IT)
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Charity Addresses Pre-Pregnancy Binge Drinking
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) has hit out at reports that just one episode of binge drinking when a woman is pregnant can harm her baby.
In a statement, the charity said the claims are causing "serious and unnecessary distress".
It added that it is now regularly seeing women who are worried they have harmed their baby, before they knew they were pregnant, following an episode of binge drinking. As a result, some of these women consider terminating an otherwise wanted pregnancy.
Binge drinking, can be defined by consuming six or more units – three glasses of wine – in one sitting, and there are times when a woman can binge not knowing she is pregnant. However, warnings from various studies that even a small quantity of alcohol can lead to birth defects, facial deformities and learning difficulties in babies can cause mothers-to-be to worry, and who are increasingly seeking advice from BPAS about whether to continue or end the pregnancy.
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In its response, the charity referred to a study published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (BJOG) in 2012, which found no evidence that episodic binge drinking in the early stages of pregnancy impact upon a child's cognitive abilities by the age of five.
BPAS added that women are still advised to follow NICE guidance and, if possible, avoid drinking alcohol in the first three months of pregnancy as it could increase the risk of miscarriage. Throughout the remainder of their pregnancy, they are advised to stick to one or two units – a glass of wine – once or twice a week.
Ann Furedi, Chief Executive of the BPAS, said: "BPAS supports women's reproductive choices and provides safe, legal abortion care to women with unwanted pregnancies. It concerns us greatly when women with wanted pregnancies are driven to consider abortion because they needlessly fear their behaviour has damaged their baby.
"Women should be reassured that the odd night of heavy drinking before they found out they were pregnant is extremely unlikely to have caused their baby harm. Pregnant women don't need scare stories but impartial, evidence-based information, and they should be trusted to make the choices that are right for them."
(JP/IT)
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Lydia Bright Gets Candid About Giving Birth
Lana Del Ray Splits From Boyfriend
Angelica Ross Learns Of Boyfriend's Secret Life
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Susanna Reid's Mother's Day Plans
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