U.S. Surgeon General Releases
Advisory on Alcohol Use in Pregnancy
February 21, 2005
"We must prevent all injury and illness that is preventable in society, and alcohol related birth defects are completely preventable," Dr. Carmona said. "We do not know what, if any, amount of alcohol is safe. But we do know that the risk of a baby being born with any of the fetal alcohol spectrum disorders increases with the amount of alcohol a pregnant woman drinks, as does the likely severity of the condition. And when a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, so does her baby. Therefore, it's in the child's best interest for a pregnant woman to simply not drink alcohol."
In addition, studies indicate that a baby could be affected by alcohol consumption within the earliest weeks after conception, even before a woman knows that she is pregnant. For that reason, the Surgeon General is recommending that women who may become pregnant also abstain from alcohol.
"Thanks to our ever-increasing body of scientific knowledge we are now able to identify more and more causes of premature births and birth defects," Dr. Carmona said. "And we must use this knowledge, not for knowledge's sake, but for the sake of the health of children everywhere."
Dr. Carmona made this announcement prior to participating in BirthDay Live!, a 10-hour live television program on the Discovery Health Channel that shows childbirths from three locations across the country. This announcement and participation in the program are both part of Surgeon General Carmona's "The Year of the Healthy Child" agenda: a commitment to help improve the holistic health of children from pre-conception through the teen years. For more information about "The Year of the Healthy Child," visit http://www.surgeongeneral.gov.
Surgeon General's Advisory on Alcohol Use in Pregnancy
Thirty-two years ago, United States researchers
first recognized fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)(1). FAS is characterized by growth
deficiencies (or, decreased growth), abnormal facial features (specific facial
features), and central nervous system (or, brain) abnormalities. FAS falls under
the spectrum of adverse outcomes caused by prenatal alcohol exposure called
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). The discovery of FAS led to
considerable public education and awareness initiatives informing women to limit
the amount of alcohol they consume while pregnant. But since that time, more has
been learned about the effects of alcohol on a fetus. It is now clear that no
amount of alcohol can be considered safe.
I now wish to emphasize to prospective parents,
healthcare practitioners, and all childbearing-aged women, especially those who
are pregnant, the importance of not drinking alcohol if a woman is pregnant or
considering becoming pregnant.
Based on the current, best science available we now know the following:
* Alcohol consumed during pregnancy increases the risk of alcohol related birth defects, including growth deficiencies, facial abnormalities, central nervous system impairment, behavioral disorders, and intellectual development.
* No amount of alcohol consumption can be considered safe during pregnancy.
* Alcohol can damage a fetus at any stage of pregnancy. Damage can occur in the earliest weeks of pregnancy, even before a woman knows that she is pregnant.
* The cognitive deficits and behavioral problems resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure are lifelong.
* Alcohol-related birth defects are completely preventable.
For these reasons:
1. A pregnant woman should not drink alcohol during pregnancy.
2. A pregnant woman who has already consumed alcohol during her pregnancy should stop in order to minimize further risk.
3. A woman who is considering becoming pregnant should abstain from alcohol.
4. Recognizing that nearly half of all births in the United States are unplanned, women of child-bearing age should consult their physician and take steps to reduce the possibility of prenatal alcohol exposure.
5. Health professionals should inquire routinely about alcohol consumption by women of childbearing age, inform them of the risks of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, and advise them not to drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy.
Background
In the United States, FAS is the leading preventable
birth defect with associated mental and behavioral impairment. There are many
individuals exposed to prenatal alcohol who, while not exhibiting all of the
characteristic features of FAS, do manifest lifelong neurocognitive and
behavioral problems arising from this early alcohol exposure. In the United
States, the prevalence of FAS is between 0.5 to 2 cases per 1,000 births.(2) It
is estimated that for every child born with FAS, three additional children are
born who may not have the physical characteristics of FAS but still experience
neurobehavioral deficits resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure that affect
learning and behavior.(3)
The outcomes attributable to prenatal alcohol exposure
for the children of women whose alcohol consumption averages seven to 14 drinks
per week include deficits in growth, behavior, and neurocognition such as
problems in arithmetic, language and memory; visual-spatial abilities;
attention; and deficits in speed of information processing.(4) Patterns of
exposure known to place a fetus at greatest risk include binge drinking, defined
as having five or more drinks at one time and drinking seven or more drinks per
week.(5)
Despite public health advisories and subsequent efforts
to disseminate this information, including a Surgeon General's advisory in
1981,(6) recent data indicate that significant numbers of women continue to
drink during pregnancy, many in a high-risk manner that places the fetus at risk
for a broad range of problems arising from prenatal alcohol exposure including
fetal alcohol syndrome. For example, data suggest that rates of binge drinking
and drinking seven or more drinks per week among both pregnant women and non-
pregnant women of childbearing age have not declined in recent years.(7) Many
women who know they are pregnant report drinking at these levels.
In addition, recent analysis of obstetrical textbooks
suggests that physicians may not be receiving adequate instruction in the
dangers of prenatal alcohol exposure. The American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists advises against drinking at all during pregnancy.(8) Nevertheless,
only 24 percent of obstetrical textbooks published since 1990 recommended
abstinence during pregnancy,(9) despite 30 years of research since the first
publications proposed a link between alcohol exposure and birth defects.
Scientific evidence amassed in these decades has fortified the rationale for the
original advisory against alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Continuing
research has generated a wealth of new knowledge on the nature of fetal
alcohol-induced injury, the underlying mechanisms of damage, concurrent risk
factors, and the clinical distinction of alcohol-related deficits from other
disorders.(10)
Alcohol-related birth defects are completely
preventable. A number of resources are available to assist healthcare and social
services professionals in advising their patients to reduce and refrain from
alcohol in pregnancy. These resources include the National Institute on Alcohol
Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH (http://www.niaaa.nih.gov), the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fas/), and the Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration.
1 Jones, K.L. and Smith, D.W. Lancet 2(7836):999-1001,
1973 and Jones, K. L. et al, Lancet 1(7815):1267-1271, 1973.
2 Report Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Diagnosis,
Epidemiology, Prevention, and Treatment, Institute of Medicine, Stratton, K. et
al, editors, Washington, DC, National Academy Press, 1996.
3 Sampson, P.D. et al, Teratology 56:317-326, 1997.
4 Gunzerath L, Faden V, Zakhari S, Warren K (2004)
Alcohol Clin Exp Res 28: 829-847, Goldschmidt, L., Richardson, G.A. Stoffer,
D.S., Geva, D., & Day, N.L. (1996) Alcoholism: Clin. Exp. Res. 20: 763-770,
Day, N.L., Leech S.L., Richardson G.A., Cornelius., Robles N., Larkby, C (2002)
Alcoholism: Clin. Exp. Res 26:1584-91; Richardson, GA, Ryan C, Willford J, Day
NL, Goldschmidt L (2002). Neurotoxicol Teratol 24:309-320; Sampson PD, Bookstein
FL, Barr HM, Streissguth AP (1994) Am J Public Health 84:1421-1428
5 Jacobson, J.L., Jacobson, S.W., Sokol, R.J. &
Ager, J.W. (1998) Alcoholism: Clin. Exp. Res. 22, 245-351; Streissguth, A.P.,
Sampson, P.D., Olson, H.C., Bookstein, F.L., Barr, H.M., Scott, M., Feldman, J.,
& Mirsky, A.F. (1994) Alcoholism: Clin. Exp. Res. 18: 202-218
6 FDA Drug Bulletin 11(2):9-10, 1981.
7 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Morbidity
and Mortality Weekly Report 51(13):273-6, 2002.
8 American Academy of Pediatrics and American College
of Obstetricians and thGynecologists. Guidelines for Perinatal Care 5 Edition
75:85-86. Washington, DC, 2002.
9 Loop, K.Q. and Nettleman, M.D., American Journal of
Preventive Medicine 23(2):136-138, 2002.
10 Fifth through the tenth Special Reports to the U.S.
Congress on Alcohol and Health, Pub. Nos. DHHS 84-1291, 87-1519, and 90-1656,
and NIH 94-3699, 97- 4017, and 00-1583; Institute of Medicine report cited
above; Alcohol Research & Health volumes 18(1), 1994 and 25(3), 2001.
SOURCE U.S. Office of the Surgeon General -0- 02/21/2005 /CONTACT: U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services Press Office, +1-202-690-6343 / /Web
site: http://www.hhs.gov http://www.niaaa.nih.gov
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fas CO:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; HHS ST: District of Columbia
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.