CDC Features

CDC Features

What Every Woman Should Know about Alcohol and Pregnancy

When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, so does her unborn baby. Read the 5 things every woman should know about drinking alcohol during pregnancy.

We've all heard that a woman shouldn't drink while she's pregnant or if she's planning to get pregnant. Here's why and what you should know.

5 Things You Should Know about Drinking Alcohol during Pregnancy

Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause a baby to be born with birth defects and have disabilities. These conditions, called fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, or FASDs, are among the top preventable birth defects and developmental disabilities. FASDs can cause problems in how a person grows, learns, looks, and acts. FASDs can also cause birth defects of the heart, brain, and other major organs. These problems last a lifetime.
There is no known amount of alcohol that is safe to drink while pregnant. All drinks with alcohol can hurt an unborn baby. A 12-ounce can of beer has as much alcohol as a 5-ounce glass of wine or a 1-ounce shot of liquor.
There is no safe time to drink during pregnancy. Alcohol can harm a baby at any time during pregnancy. It can cause problems in the early weeks of pregnancy, before a woman even knows she is pregnant.
Too many women continue to drink during pregnancy. About 1 in 12 pregnant women in the United States reports alcohol use. And about 1 in 30 pregnant women in the United States reports binge drinking (having five or more drinks at one time)*.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are 100% preventable. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are 100% preventable—if a woman does not drink alcohol while she is pregnant.

*In these findings, binge drinking was defined as having five or more drinks at one time. More recently, the definition of binge drinking for women has been changed to four or more drinks at one time.

New FASD Products Available!

CDC announces the availability of several new products that can guide in the identification, prevention and management of FASDs. These products include a curriculum development guide for use with medical and allied health students and practitioners, and two reports from the National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect with recommendations on promoting and improving effective prevention strategies to reduce alcohol use and alcohol-exposed pregnancies, and on improving and expanding efforts regarding early identification, diagnostic services, and quality research on interventions for individuals with FASDs and their families:

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Competency-Based Curriculum Development Guide for Medical and Allied Health Education and Practice.

This Guide is designed to improve prevention, identification, and management of FASDs and can be used to develop educational programs and materials in a range of formats based on the needs of learners. Based on seven core competencies, it is intended for use with medical and allied health students and practitioners.
Reducing Alcohol-Exposed Pregnancies: A Report of the National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect.
This report reviews current evidence on prevention strategies to reduce alcohol use and alcohol-exposed pregnancies, provides recommendations on promoting and improving these strategies, and offers future research directions in the field of FASD prevention. It also serves as a guide for those in the research and practice fields interested in selecting and implementing effective, scientifically tested interventions for women at risk for an alcohol-exposed pregnancy.
A Call to Action: Advancing Essential Services and Research on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders – A Report of the National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect.
This Call to Action highlights ten recommendations to improve and expand efforts regarding early identification, diagnostic services, and quality research on interventions for individuals with FASDs and their families. The intent of this report is to guide federal, state and local agencies, researchers and clinicians, family support groups, and other partners on actions needed to advance essential services for individuals with FASDs and their families and to promote continued intervention research efforts.