DRINKING alcohol during the first three months of pregnancy does more harm to unborn children than in the final stages, a study has revealed.
Researchers said drinking alcohol, especially binge drinking, during the first seven to 12 weeks is linked to growth deficiencies in weight and height as well as a number of facial deformities which are signs of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS).
A study of nearly 1,000 women over a 27-year period revealed that for every one drink increase per day, the risk of their child being born undersized was almost 20 per cent higher than in those who did not drink. The chance of babies being born with a cleft lip increased by 25 per cent.
Other facial deformities associated with FAS, such as the line between the lip and skin being exposed and being born with an abnormally small head for their size, increased by 22 per cent and 12 per cent respectively.
However, last night health professionals and alcohol awareness campaigners in Scotland warned women were receiving mixed messages and that the “total abstinence” during pregnancy message needed to be publicised more widely.
The study by researchers at the University of California involving 992 women, between 1978 and 2005, is the first to monitor drinking levels throughout pregnancy.
Dr Haruna Sawada Feldman, co-author of the study to be published in the April 2012 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, warned a lack of symptoms associated with alcohol during the first seven weeks should not be interpreted to mean alcohol consumption during this time was safe.
The study only considered pregnancies resulting in live births, but some pregnancies may end in miscarriage or early stillbirth due to maternal alcohol consumption in the first seven weeks.
Dr Evelyn Gillan, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: “Women receive so many mixed messages about drinking during pregnancy – from the media, from health professionals, and their friends and family.
“However, in 2007, Scotland’s chief medical officer issued clear advice that women who are pregnant or trying to conceive should avoid alcohol. More needs to be done to promote this message and raise awareness of the risks.”
Gillian Smith, of the Royal College of Midwives in Scotland, said: “The Scottish Government says to avoid alcohol at this time, but a few years ago the advice from Westminster was that one or two glasses a week was OK. Women have been left confused.”