Drinking alcohol by pregnant women 'harmful'

Pregnant women who drink alcohol can pose serious health problems to their babies, according to researchers.

The warning came after a study in Britain revealed that more than half of pregnant mothers or 55 percent boozed despite health warnings -- in fact, older women drank more than younger ones while they're expecting.

The researchers surveyed 35,600 British women to reach the conclusion. Nearly, 61 percent of mothers aged 35 or over admitted they drank while pregnant compared to 47 percent of those aged under 20, the 'Daily Mail' reported today.

Out of those who drank before they conceived, only a third said they gave up alcohol altogether. The remaining two thirds of the respondents said that they continued drinking, but cut down the amounts.

According to the researchers at nice, the UK's health watchdog, women should not drink at all during the first three months of pregnancy and after that they must restrict their drinks to two small glasses of wine.

Growing evidence has shown that kids born to mothers who drink can have serious health conditions like slow growth, foetal alcohol syndrome and autism. In fact, the damage to the kid increases with the amount of alcohol drunk and the timing during the pregnancy, they said.

Susan Fleischer, director of the national organisation for foetal alcohol syndrome, said older women with careers had been calling their helpline after their kids were diagnosed with the disorder.

She said many had a regular habit of drinking with male colleagues and found it harder to stop while they were pregnant compared to younger women. "Not all women who drink during pregnancy will harm their child, but the only way to be sure is not to drink at all."

Zee News