Drinking is not good for your body and health and you know it. Everyone knows it at this point. However, it can also affect other person’s body as well. A team of scientists led by the University of Bristol found that women who drink during pregnancy put their children in danger much more than previously believed. A new study showed that these children are much more likely to develop mental health problems.
Drinking in pregnancy could affect children’s mental health – it is better to avoid alcohol and other harmful substances during pregnancy and when trying to conceive. Image credit: Andrew Vargas via Wikimedia (CC BY 2.0)
Drinking during pregnancy has been linked to an increased risk of physical problems. However, less is known about the connection between mother’s alcohol use and child’s mental health. Many mothers-to-be imagine that drinking small amount of alcohol cannot do any harm. Although doctors have advised for ages that it is better to simply not use any kind of alcohol or drugs during pregnancy, consequences in terms of child’s mental health have not been proved. Now scientists reviewed a pile of studies and concluded that alcohol use during pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of mental health problems in children.
Scientists say that this information should be considered when writing guidelines for pregnant women and health practitioners. Young mothers should be advised to avoid alcohol completely. Also, they themselves could use this information to form an informed opinion about whether or not she should remain completely sober during pregnancy as well as when trying to conceive. Days, weeks or even months may pass after conception when mother will notice that she’s pregnant. That is why it is important to be responsible and avoid substance use when trying to conceive a child. In fact, this is true for both of the parents. However, it is still not the full story.
Reviewing researches from the past scientists have found insufficient evidence regarding light and moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy and its effects on child’s health. In other words, not many scientists dwelled into this subject, which makes it lacking. However, scientists are still suggesting no alcohol at all for pregnant women – it is simply the right thing to do to avoid increasing the risk of mental illness for children. On the other hand, scientists are going to be investigating whether light to moderate alcohol use in pregnancy may be harmful to different mental health outcomes in children. For that they are going to review more studies with bigger data pools.
Alcohol and pregnancy simply do not mix. It is a responsible thing to do to stay away from drinking during pregnancy and while trying to conceive. Child’s health is simply more important than having fun with an alcoholic beverage in your hand.
Source: University of Bristol