It is a recommendation of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in the United States to avoid the risk of giving birth to babies affected by the aftermath of alcohol.
The effects of alcohol during pregnancy are irreversible, hence the recommendation of "not a drop", even suggest avoiding it before becoming pregnant, but the striking warning of avoid alcohol consumption is that it is aimed to all women of childbearing age who do not use contraceptives, even before knowing they are pregnant.
According to a report published by the CDC, 3.3 million women between the ages of 15 and 44 are at risk of exposing their pregnant baby to alcohol Because they drink, they are sexually active and do not use contraceptive methods to prevent pregnancy.
And three out of four women who want to get pregnant do not give up drinking when they stop using contraceptives.
"Alcohol can permanently harm a developing baby before a woman knows she is pregnant," Dr. Anne Schuchat, the CDC's principal deputy director, said during a press conference.
"We think that between 2 and 5 percent of children may have a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder," he said. "We believe that up to 5 percent of American children of school age could suffer from a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder."
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (ASDF) are the leading cause of preventable mental retardation. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy, even in the first few weeks and before the woman knows she is pregnant, can cause physical, behavioral and intellectual disabilities that can last a child's lifetime.
There is no safe amount of alcohol
Although some studies indicate minimum safe amounts to drink during pregnancy ("Total is a glass"), medical authorities are reluctant to mark any "safe" amount of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. What is known with certainty is that alcohol consumption seems to be more harmful during the first three months of pregnancy; However, drinking alcohol at any time during pregnancy can be harmful.
As there is no safe amount of alcohol, because each organism is different and is variable from one woman to another, the general recommendation for real harm to the fetus is completely avoid alcohol consumption, before and during pregnancy.
That is why the recommendation that all women of childbearing age who could become pregnant for not using contraceptives put aside alcohol, since around half of pregnancies are unplanned. The woman usually finds out about pregnancy at five or six weeks, a stage in which the effects of alcohol could cross the placenta and affect the fetus without even knowing it.
A controversial recommendation
Of course, that undefined sobriety recommendation It has not been quite right among the women of the United States, who accused scientists of being "Puritans" and of being very out of tune with the way many pre-pregnant people live their lives.
Despite these complaints, other associations such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists applauded this recommendation, as they consider it a way to prevent fetuses from being exposed to amounts of alcohol that could be harmful in their development.
What do you think? Is it an exaggerated recommendation? Would you be willing to quit alcohol to avoid risks in a possible pregnancy?
