OK, it’s not exactly “bottoms up”, but research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health finds that moderate drinking during pregnancy is not harmful to a developing fetus. I have heard this before, when I spoke with Dr. Michael Broder who wrote The Panic Free Pregnancy, but neither of us — at the time — expected the mainstream media to publish anything of the sort. After all, everyone from the Centers for Disease Control to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says don’t drink at all while pregnant. This new research, however, has started a conversation. I spoke with Texas Children’s Pavillion for Women obstetrician Dr. Codi Weiner to get her thoughts on the methology and conclusions of the research, as well as to determine what she considers to be moderate drinking. This is what she had to say:
Note: In response to the publication of this research, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists tweeted out this statement:
@acognews: the jury may be out for researchers, but ACOG recommends that pregnant women avoid alcohol
BTW: For more on what Dr. Broder says is safe — and unsafe — for you and your fetus during pregnancy, from eating sushi to coloring your hair, you can listen to this Pea in the Podcast here.
