‘Women Trying To Conceive Or In Early Pregnancy Should Not Drink Alcohol’ – New Guidelines Recommend

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According to DailyMail, new guidelines by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) advise that women trying to conceive and those in the first three months of pregnancy stay away from alcohol.

Previous guidance stated that mothers-to-be should not drink more than two units once or twice per week, but revised advice from RCOG states that pregnant women should completely avoid alcohol for the first three months.

There is no proven safe amount that women can drink during pregnancy and the only way to be certain that the baby is not harmed by alcohol is not to drink at all during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

However, small amounts of alcohol after the first trimester do not appear to be harmful, the new information says.

After this time, women are advised to not drink more than one to two units, more than once or twice a week. Meanwhile drinking around conception and during the first three months of pregnancy may increase the chance of miscarriage.

The guidance states that drinking alcohol may affect the unborn baby as some will pass through the placenta and into its bloodstream. This can affect the baby’s development, in particular the way its brain develops and how it grows in the womb, leading to foetal growth restriction and increase the risk of stillbirth and premature labour.

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It could also result in foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and the more severe foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), which can lead to children having physical and mental disabilities.

Chairwoman of the RCOG’s Patient Information Committee, Philippa Marsden, said: ‘For women planning a family, it is advisable not to drink during this time. Either partner drinking heavily can make it more difficult to conceive. During early pregnancy, the safest approach is to abstain from alcohol and after the first trimester keep within the recommended amounts if you do decide to have an alcohol drink. The same applies for women who decide to breastfeed. If you cut down or stop drinking at any point during pregnancy, it can make a difference to your baby. However, in some instances, once the damage has been done, it cannot be reversed.’

Cath Broderick, chairwoman of the RCOG Women’s Network, a lay-group of women who inform the college about issues affecting women’s health, said: ‘This updated information aims to help women make informed choices about levels of alcohol and has had direct input from women when developing it. Women may receive conflicting advice and be unsure about how alcohol is measured. This advice provides information about what is thought to be a safe amount both before and during pregnancy and chimes with the NICE antenatal guidance.’