PREGNANT WOMEN URGED TO AVOID ALCOHOL TEMPTATION DURING THE HOLIDAYS

OTIS Experts Call New Study Suggesting Alcohol Is Safe During Pregnancy ‘Misleading’ 

SAN DIEGO, CA, October 25, 2010 - The Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS), a non-profit with affiliates across North America that aims to educate women about exposures during pregnancy and breastfeeding, urges women to avoid alcohol consumption during pregnancy despite recent reports suggesting light drinking is acceptable.

The report, based on a study conducted by researchers at the University College London and published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, suggests babies born to women who drank one to two alcoholic beverages one to two times per week during pregnancy were not at an increased risk of adverse cognitive or behavioral developmental outcomes up to the age of five years.

In the study, the cognitive and behavioral performance of children born to women who recalled being "light drinkers" in pregnancy was compared to children of women who usually drink, but who stated they did not drink in pregnancy.

“This study can be misleading simply based on inaccuracy alone,” said Dr. Kenneth Lyons Jones, who was one of the doctors who first identified Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) in 1973. “The women who participated in this study were asked long after their babies were born to remember accurately about the specific amounts of alcohol they had to drink,” he pointed out. “Under any circumstance it is difficult to obtain good information on the specific quantity and dates that a woman drank, but this particular study was even more susceptible to error due to the length of time that had passed before mothers were asked,” he added.

Furthermore, it is common for women to report that they did not drink in pregnancy, according to Dr. Christina Chambers, professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego and program director of OTIS’ California affiliate, CTIS Pregnancy Health Information Line. “It’s our experience that what a woman really means is that she didn’t drink after she found out she was pregnant, but that’s usually already four to six weeks into her pregnancy,” she said. “Thus, some of the women who said they were ‘non-drinkers’ were really drinkers, and this could be one reason why there was no difference between the two groups of children involved in the study,” she added.

Drs. Jones and Chambers are also quick to point out the overwhelming evidence from over 30 years of research continues to support the conclusion that alcohol can be harmful to the developing baby throughout the entire pregnancy. A “safe” amount of alcohol that any individual woman can drink while pregnant is unknown, they said. Thus, the best advice continues to be that women should avoid alcohol entirely during the nine months that she is carrying the baby.

“It’s thought that Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is the most common recognizable cause of mental retardation,” said Dr. Jones. “This is why the recommendation to avoid alcohol during pregnancy is also the clear message of the U.S. Surgeon General,” he added.

In addition to teaching at UCSD, Dr. Jones is the founder and medical director of CTIS Pregnancy Health Information Line, a California non-profit that provides free counseling to women during pregnancy and lactation through a toll-free hotline.

If a woman is planning on becoming pregnant or is currently pregnant, she is encouraged to talk to her doctor about her alcohol consumption habits. Questions or concerns from women in California can also be directed to the CTIS Pregnancy Health Information Line, at (800) 532-3749 or at CTISPregnancy.org. Outside of California, please call OTIS counselors at (866) 626-OTIS (6847).

For more information or if you would like to schedule an interview, please contact Nicole Chavez at (619) 294-6262 or at ncchavez@ucsd.edu. Spanish-speaking interviews are also available.

OTIS is a North American non-profit dedicated to providing accurate evidence-based, clinical information to patients and health care professionals about exposures during pregnancy and lactation through its toll-free hotline and website, www.OTISPregnancy.org. Nearly 100,000 women seek information about birth defect prevention from OTIS and its affiliates every year.

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