Pregnant or planning? Watch this

Qualitymark

Tragic piece on how little drinking can lead to Foetal Alcohol Syndrome:

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/101east/2015/12/hidden-harm-151203073713500.html

sambucus nigra

What's the "latest research" that they fail to reference I wonder?

Scaremongering...

Arbiter of Good Taste

sambucus nigra wrote: »

What's the "latest research" that they fail to reference I wonder?

Scaremongering...

But even if there is just an iota of a risk, surely it's better to abstain?

sambucus nigra

Arbiter of Good Taste wrote: »

But even if there is just an iota of a risk, surely it's better to abstain?

Well that’s individual choice in my opinion - everything has an element of known and unknown risk associated with it and it’s up to the individual to decide where to draw the line. What about microbial risks from eating runny eggs (Salmonella…), bean sprouts/lettuce (can be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, dreadful affects on the growing foetus). Teratogens from the known, to the suspected (e.g. phthalates in many plastics), to the ones we don’t even know about yet. Risks are everywhere, it’s not possible to avoid them all.

The only peer-reviewed studies that stand up to scrutiny link Foetal Alcohol Syndrome to regular heavy drinking, and the families interviewed in the video admit consuming alcohol in large quantities during their pregnancies. I could be mistaken, but I recall reading somewhere that this is accepted as being something in the order of 18 units per day, which induces a three-fold increase in risk of FAS.

I was expecting a reference to a novel and serious study with new evidence to low or occasional consumption of alcohol, but it's just another ABC special that seems to serve to shame some women, and draw pseudoscience links where proper medical science hasn't yet.

LegacyUser

Yes, there are many risks during pregnancy, and most women would love to eliminate them IF possible. Alcohol consumption IS avoidable. I feel sad when I read how pregnant women freely and almost proudly proclaim they've had "the odd glass here and there", and I can't help wondering: Would they also give the odd glass to their newborn baby? I don't think so. Not even diluted. Yet they feel it's perfectly fine to inflict alcohol on an even younger child. Strange, that.

Qualitymark

sambucus nigra wrote: »

Well that’s individual choice in my opinion - everything has an element of known and unknown risk associated with it and it’s up to the individual to decide where to draw the line. What about microbial risks from eating runny eggs (Salmonella…), bean sprouts/lettuce (can be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, dreadful affects on the growing foetus). Teratogens from the known, to the suspected (e.g. phthalates in many plastics), to the ones we don’t even know about yet. Risks are everywhere, it’s not possible to avoid them all.

Surely it is possible to avoid the most obvious dangers.

and the families interviewed in the video admit consuming alcohol in large quantities during their pregnancies.

You mustn't have watched much of the video. What shocked me most was how little several of the women had drunk during pregnancy.

It seems possible to me that some people - maybe some foetuses - are more liable to damage from alcohol than others, as with other risks.

It's not a big deal to abstain from drinking for a few months, if it's going to be better for your baby. If it is a big deal, maybe one could question whether a choice of parenthood is a good idea.