Writing in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, medical researchers report that there is little evidence that binge drinking while pregnant seriously harms the fetus. While consistently heavy drinking throughout pregnancy is known to be associated with birth defects and subsequent neurological problems, little was known what impact binge drinking might have, until now. The new study is based on a comprehensive review of published research on binge drinking and women who were either pregnant or trying to conceive.
Binge drinking was defined as downing five or more alcoholic drinks in one go and the review spanned 35 years from 1970 to 2005. The results indicated that there was little substantive evidence that binge drinking was behind problems like miscarriage, stillbirth, abnormal birthweight or birth defects. There was, however, some suggestion that it might impair normal neurodevelopment, although the effects were generally quite small, say the researchers.
The researchers qualify their findings by pointing out that the timing of binge drinking might be important, and that there may be more of an impact during the first 13 weeks of pregnancy. They suggest that further research is required, but in the meantime it might be wise for women to avoid binge drinking during pregnancy, just in case.
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Source: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
