Due to a generally lower body weight, less body fluid (or volume of distribution), more body fat, smaller livers, and less alcohol dehydrogenase, (the enzyme which breaks down alcohol to acetaldehyde in the stomach and liver), women are advised to drink less alcohol than men.

Planning a Pregnancy

Drinking more than once or twice a week, or more than one or two drinks each time, can affect the menstrual cycle and fertility levels. It is also known that mothers are often not aware for the first few weeks that they are pregnant, hence by not drinking alcohol while trying to conceive, the risk of exposing the foetus to alcohol during the critical early development is avoided.

Drinking when pregnant

If you drink when pregnant, alcohol from the blood crosses the placenta and enters the baby’s blood. As the foetus is still developing it takes longer for its liver to break down the alcohol, potentially exposing its organs and tissues to alcohol. As no threshold of safe drinking when pregnant has been established, the best advice if pregnant or planning to conceive is not to drink

In the first three months, heavy drinking can damage the developing organs and nervous system. Continued heavy drinking for the remaining six months can have the additional effects of retarding growth and development, which can lead to both behavioural and physical problems for the baby once it is born. A good diet, sufficient fluid intake, reducing caffeine intake and not smoking during pregnancy will also help provide a healthy environment for the unborn baby

Breastfeeding

Alcohol clears from a mother’s milk at the rate of around one drink every two hours. So it is best to avoid alcohol before breastfeeding, or to plan ahead and express milk if drinking alcohol later. Alcohol in the mother’s bloodstream passes into breast milk and can cause irritability, poor feeding and sleep disturbance. It can also reduces the amount of breast milk produced.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a term which covers a range of behavioural and physical problems which may result from heavy drinking during pregnancy. They have been classified as:

• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
  
• Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (pFAS)
  
• Alcohol-Related Birth Defects (ARBD)
  
• Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopment Disorder (ARND)
  

The syndromes, defects, or disorders are sometimes accompanied by other behavioural disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). FASD is not genetic, inherited or curable. Not all women who drink during pregnancy will have a child with FASD but research shows that drinking alcohol heavily or binge drinking regularly during pregnancy increases the chance of the fetus being harmed. Some of the behavioural and physical problems identified include:

• Prenatal growth retardation and associated low birth weight
  
• Central nervous system dysfunction
  
• Characteristic facial malformations (FAS)
  
• Heart and kidney defects
  
• Hearing and sight impairments
  
• Limited joint movement
  
• Hernias
  
• Cleft lip or palate