Drinking and Pregnancy?

August 01, 2025

 

September 9th is FASD day. On this day we remind all women that there is no safe time, no safe amount and no safe kind of alcohol consumption in pregnancy.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is the term used to describe the range of permanent birth defects caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol. Alcohol crosses the placenta and interferes with cell development in the brain, nervous system and other organs. People affected with FASD can have learning disabilities, hyperactivity, memory deficits, trouble at school and work, trouble controlling emotions, and difficulty learning from past mistakes and solving problems.

 

Why is Alcohol a Problem in Pregnancy?

Drinking alcohol in pregnancy can cause permanent brain damage. In fact, prenatal exposure to alcohol is the leading known cause of preventable brain damage in Canada. Health Canada states. “If you are pregnant or wish to become pregnant, don’t drink any alcohol.”

 

I Have Heard that Light Drinking is okay? I’m Confused!

Over the past few years there has been controversial information suggesting that low levels of alcohol consumption may be okay in pregnancy. Researchers O’Leary and Bower looked at all those recent studies to determine if the no safe time, no safe amount and no safe level of alcohol in pregnancy is still the best recommendation.

O’Leary and Bower find that each individual woman metabolizes alcohol differently based on genetics, nutritional status, age, and use of other substances. They state that it is impossible to determine a safe threshold of alcohol use in pregnancy for each individual woman as it is variable.

With moderate and high levels of alcohol consumption in pregnancy the harmful effects of alcohol are well documented. However, the harmful effects of light drinking in pregnancy may not be measureable with current research methods and often FASD is not diagnosed until well into primary school.

The researchers also found that the difference between light drinking and moderate drinking was very small and it would be easy for women to drink beyond a light level especially after their judgement is impaired by consuming some alcohol. As alcohol causes permanent brain damage and freely crosses the placenta, the researchers found that it is morally and ethically unacceptable to condone any alcohol use in pregnancy. The risks for the baby are too great. The safest choice for all pregnant women and their developing baby is to abstain from alcohol use in pregnancy.

 

Incidence and Cost of FASD in Canada

The Public Health Agency of Canada estimates the incidence of FASD in Canada is 1-2%. However, experts working in the field feel the number is much higher as most people affected by FASD are never diagnosed, due to a lack of diagnostic services and a lack of awareness by health and social service providers.

It is difficult to estimate how much FASD costs, but a recent study done by the Public Health Agency of Canada estimates 5.3 billion dollars to care for all citizens affected by FASD from birth to 53 years of age. As FASD is preventable it is important that our community support pregnant women in their efforts to remain alcohol-free in pregnancy.

 

Caring Community Commitment - Help all mothers abstain from alcohol use in pregnancy:

LEARN IT – Know the risks of drinking alcohol in pregnancy. Find gentle and caring ways to share the information about the risks of alcohol use in pregnancy with women and others in our community. Ask women how you can help them to remain alcohol-free in pregnancy.

LIVE IT –Offer tasty mocktails. Ask all licensed establishments to follow “Sandy’s Law”, requiring them to post warning signs in a visible location about the risks of alcohol in pregnancy.

LEAVE IT – Join her - toast her mocktail with one of your own. Find alcohol-free fun activities.

 

More Information:

  • Watch for a provincial media campaign this fall encouraging alcohol free pregnancies on buses, in theatres and in malls. Designed by FASD One (Ontario Network of Expertise)
  • Have more questions visit www.alcoholfreepregnancy.ca
  • Had some alcohol before you knew you were pregnant? Call Motherisk at 1-877-FAS-INFO
  • Lutherwood has just developed a new website for all things FASD in Waterloo Region visit www.fasdwaterlooregion.ca
  • Register for Practical Community Response on FASD, November 12, 2012. For more information contact KidsAbility, 519-886-8886 or www.kidsability.ca to register in the fall.

This Press Package has been prepared in partnership with Janet Carioni, Occupational Therapist, KidsAbility, KidsLINK, KWC FASD Consulting, Lutherwood, Sharon Porty, Social Worker and Region of Waterloo Public Health.

 

-30-

 

Media Contact: Sue Morris, Manager, Reproductive Health, 519-883-2005, ext. 5383

 

References:

O’Leary CM and Bower C. (2011). Guidelines for pregnancy: What’s an acceptable risk, and how is the evidence (finally) shaping up? Drug and Alcohol Review, early on-line access. DOI: 10.1111/j.1465-3362.2011.00331.x PMID: 21955332

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health ( 2012), Economic Impact of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, A Systematic Literature Review

Public Health Agency of Canada. The Healthy Pregnancy Guide, August 2011, http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-gs/guide/03_ap-ag-eng.php