Can I drink alcohol when I'm pregnant?

You cannot drink alcohol when you are just pregnant, because drinking can easily cause fetal malformations. I hope pregnant women can pay attention to this. Pregnant women should avoid eating spicy food and drinking white wine during pregnancy. They can drink a little wine, but not too much. The side effects of alcohol can affect the intellectual development of the fetus. It is recommended that female friends understand the possible harm of drinking when they are just pregnant.

According to researchers at Family Doctor Online, drinking 1-2 glasses of wine per week during pregnancy may actually help improve your baby's behavior compared to abstaining from alcohol during pregnancy. However, excessive drinking by mothers can lead to more behavioral problems and psychological and emotional problems in their children.

Although official recommendations suggest that it is best to avoid drinking alcohol during pregnancy, early research shows that drinking small amounts of alcohol during pregnancy does not have a negative impact on the child's development. The latest study involving 11,000 pregnant women further confirmed this finding. The new study, conducted by a team of scientists from University College London, found that pregnant women can safely drink a 175 ml glass of wine, 50 ml of liquor or 1 pint (473 ml) of beer per week without causing any harm to their children's intellectual and behavioral development.

In the new study, researchers surveyed 11,000 women whose children were 9 months old about drinking during pregnancy and other health issues. The survey found that 6% of the women participating in the study said they never drank alcohol, and 60% chose not to drink at all during pregnancy. 25% of people said they drank in small amounts, about 1-2 glasses of wine per week; 5% drank moderately during pregnancy, 3-6 glasses of wine per week; and 2.5% drank heavily during pregnancy.

In addition, the families were surveyed again when the children were 3 and 5 years old. When the children were 5 years old, they took tests of their intellectual development, such as word memory and puzzle solving, and answered questions about their social and emotional behavior. The results showed that children whose mothers drank 1-2 glasses of alcohol per week during pregnancy performed slightly better in intellectual development tests than children whose mothers did not drink at all during pregnancy.

However, the study also found that children born to alcoholic mothers were more likely to have ADHD and more behavioral and psychological problems than children whose mothers did not drink during pregnancy.

New research concludes that drinking one to two drinks per week during pregnancy does not increase the risk of behavioral or psychological and emotional problems in the child later in life. The concept of "1 drink" here is equivalent to half a pint (237 ml) of regular beer. 1 small glass of wine (depending on the alcohol content) is equivalent to "1-1.5 glasses of wine".