Vital Signs: Alcohol-Exposed Pregnancies — United States, 2011–2013

Abstract

Background: Alcohol is a teratogen.* Prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with a range of adverse reproductive outcomes and can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) characterized by lifelong physical, behavioral, and intellectual disabilities. FASDs are completely preventable if a woman does not drink alcohol while pregnant.Methods: CDC analyzed data from the 2011-2013 National Survey of Family Growth to generate U.S. prevalence estimates of risk for an alcohol-exposed pregnancy for 4,303 nonpregnant, nonsterile women aged 15-44 years, by selected demographic and behavioral factors. A woman was considered at risk for an alcohol-exposed pregnancy during the past month if she had sex with a male, drank any alcohol, and did not (and her partner did not with her) use contraception in the past month; was not sterile; and had a partner (or partners) not known to be sterile. Results:The weighted prevalence of alcohol-exposed pregnancy risk among U.S. women aged 15-44 years was 7.3%. During a 1-month period, approximately 3.3 million women in the United States were at risk for an alcohol-exposed pregnancy. Conclusions and Implications for Public Health Practice:Alcohol use in pregnancy is associated with low birthweight, preterm birth, birth defects, and developmental disabilities. Women of reproductive age should be informed of the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy, and contraception should be recommended, as appropriate, for women who do not want to become pregnant. Women wanting a pregnancy should be advised to stop drinking at the same time contraception is discontinued. Health care providers should advise women not to drink at all if they are pregnant or there is any chance they might be pregnant. Alcohol misuse screening and behavioral counseling (also known as alcohol screening and brief intervention) is recommended for all adults in primary care, including reproductive-aged and pregnant women, as an evidenced-based approach to reducing alcohol consumption among persons who consume alcohol in excess of the recommended guidelines.

Environmental Risk Factors for Congenital Heart Disease

“…Heart defects are common in FASD, with up to 67% of cases reported with CHD, mostly VSD, ASD, and conotruncal defects (Burd et al 2007;Yang et al 2015). Alcohol is commonly consumed by pregnant women, with up to 30% of pregnant women and up to 66% of women who are planning a pregnancy, drinking alcohol (Ethen et al 2009;Cameron et al 2013;Green et al 2016;Reynolds et al 2019). As a consequence, FASD affects 0.8% of individuals worldwide (Lange et al 2017) and up to 5% of children in the United States (May et al 2014).…”

Hippocampus-dependent memory and allele-specific gene expression in adult offspring of alcohol-consuming dams after neonatal treatment with thyroxin or metformin

“…Despite efforts in awareness and prevention, one in ten pregnant women still reports alcohol consumption. 1 As a result, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) affects 2–11% of children worldwide, with increasing prevalence and presumably even more unreported and undiagnosed cases. 2 Despite its significance, there are still no validated biological treatments for FASD.…”

Impact of Prenatal and Subsequent Adult Alcohol Exposure on Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Expression in Brain Regions Necessary for Simple Recognition Memory

“…Binge drinking during pregnancy is known to result in adverse effects in the developing fetus, often resulting in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). FASD is one of the most prominent yet most preventable cause of mental retardation in the United States and affects between 2–5% of all live births [ 19 ]. Children with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), the most severe type of FASD, often have facial and cranial malformations and exhibit problems with learning and memory, language acquisition, and attention.…”