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Women Advised to Avoid Alcohol in Pregnancy
The government had advised that pregnant women and those trying for a baby should avoid alcohol all together. This latest guidance replaces previous advice that one to two units such as a couple of glasses of wine per week was acceptable.
The Department of Health had said that its new advice is not based on an scientific evidence but instead had been introduced to ensure that women did not underestimate the risks to their baby. It also advises that if women do choose to drink they should not drink more than one to two units of alcohol once or twice a week and should not get drunk to minimise the risk to the baby.
The government's decision to change its guidance comes concern from some sectors that there is no safe amount of alcohol that mothers-to-be can drink. Heavy alcohol consumption is known to be damaging to the unborn child, the effects of a more moderate intake are less clear. Therefore the government has decided that it is best to advise women to avoid alcohol completely during pregnancy in order to avoid any undiscovered risks.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Fiona Adshead said: "We have strengthened our advice to women to help ensure that no-one underestimates the risk to the developing foetus of drinking above the recommended safe levels. Our advice is simple: avoid alcohol if pregnant or trying to conceive."
Dr Sheila Shribman, the National Clinical Director for Children, Young People and Maternity Services, said: "It is vital that we alert pregnant women and women hoping to conceive about the potential dangers of excessive alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Although there is still scientific uncertainty about the precise impact of excess alcohol on unborn babies we believe the time is right to introduce a strong consistent approach across the whole of the UK."
Dame Karlene Davis, general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, said: "We do not live in an ideal world, and we know that some women may drink alcohol when pregnant, but our advice remains that they should not."
Jane Brewin, chief executive of the baby charity Tommy's, agreed, saying: "There is no proven safe level of alcohol to drink during pregnancy because any amount can pass through the placenta to the baby."
Nothing on this site should be acted upon without professional advice. Articles are not professional advice and should not be treated as such.
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