HEALTH experts have called for new action to cut alcohol consumption amongst expectant mothers after finding that drinking during pregnancy was "prevalent and socially pervasive" in the UK and Ireland.
The University of Cambridge-led research's call for change comes as it emerged there was a north-south divide on advice to pregnant mothers on alcohol consumption.
The new research described the widespread consumption of even low levels of alcohol during pregnancy as a "significant public health concern" and stressed that
health care professionals should advise all pregnant women to abstain from alcohol during pregnancy "in line with best practice clinical care guidelines".
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence which provides health guidance for England and Wales advises abstinence from alcohol only in the first three months of pregnancy and says if women choose to drink that it should be for no more than one to two units of alcohol once or twice a week. Its advice accepts there while there is uncertainty regarding a safe level of alcohol consumption in pregnancy, at this low level "there is no evidence of harm to the unborn baby".
But in Scotland, the official advice is that pregnant women should abstain completely from alcohol and falls in line with the view of British Medical Association
Scotland.
The researchers found women across all socio-demographic groups were likely to drink - but those who smoked were up to 50% more likely to consume alcohol
while pregnant.
The study comes a fortnight after former Children's Commissioner for England Sir Al Aynsley-Green,one of the UK's leading experts in child health called for
stronger warnings on alcohol to alert women to the dangers of drinking while pregnant and talked of ''inconsistent and contradictory advice'' from health agencies.
"In England, the RCM (Royal College of Midwives) says don't drink, otherwise there is political denial," he said.
He said exposure to alcohol before birth was one of the "most significant" causes of childhood brain damage and called for tougher labelling.
Public Health Minister Maureen Watt said: "Scotland is currently the only country in the UK that advises women not to drink at all during pregnancy or when trying to conceive.
"All pregnant women in Scotland are asked about their drinking habits as part of the booking appointment with maternity services. If required, they are also provided with an alcohol brief intervention - a short conversation which aims to get them to think about their alcohol consumption and how they might cut down."
Up to 7,000 babies a year in Britain are born damaged because their mothers drank alcohol during pregnancy, doctors believe.
The researchers' analysis of almost 18,000 women in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia found drinking during pregnancy was commonplace in all four
countries, ranging from 20% to 80% in Ireland and from 40% upwards in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
The amount of alcohol consumed dropped substantially for all countries in the second trimester, along with the level of binge drinking.
Researchers said the findings show there is low adherence to alcohol guidelines advising complete abstinence from alcohol.
Although most women who drink during pregnancy do so at low levels, those who drink heavily are putting their unborn baby at risk of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome
(FAS), which affects their physical and mental development, some health experts say.
The team added that since most women who consume alcohol do so at lower levels, where the effects on the foetus are less well understood, the "widespread
consumption of even low levels of alcohol during pregnancy is a significant public health concern".
They said: "New policy and interventions are required to reduce alcohol prevalence both prior to and during pregnancy."
They said that as there was evidence of a higher risk of drinking during pregnancy among smokers, a "dual targeting of smoking and alcohol consumption should
potentially be increased and delivered routinely upon a woman's indication of either behaviour during pregnancy".
A British Medical Association Scotland spokeswoman said: "Women who are planning a pregnancy or who are already pregnant want the very best for their child's
health. Alcohol can harm the developing fetus, and as we cannot be certain that there is any safe amount, the best advice is not to drink alcohol at all during
pregnancy or when a woman is planning to become pregnant."
The Scottish Government is currently developing a "consistent diagnostic tool" to allow it to accurately record the number of foetal alcohol syndrome cases. It is
monitoring the number of cases and is expected to publish the results in the autumn.
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