Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is linked with adverse birth outcomes, like miscarriage and stillbirth, as well as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.In a national survey, 15.2% of pregnant women reported drinking in the past 30 days, while 4.9% reported binge drinking, and 2.2% reported heavy drinking.Some groups were significantly more likely to report drinking during pregnancy, including unmarried women and those who reported frequent mental distress.
Alcohol consumption during pregnancy has been on the rise in recent years, with some groups, like unmarried women and women in frequent distress, more likely to partake, CDC data showed.
Responding to a survey, 15.2% of pregnant women reported drinking in the past 30 days, while 4.9% reported binge drinking, and 2.2% reported heavy drinking, said Nicholas Deputy, PhD, of the CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, and colleagues.
Among pregnant women who reported current drinking, 33.2% also reported binge drinking and 14.7% also reported heavy drinking, they noted in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
"These findings reinforce the importance of integrating behavioral health screening, treatment, and other support into prenatal care," they wrote.
