Thursday 29th July 2010
AUSTRALIAN guidelines on alcohol intake during pregnancy are inconsistent and research is urgently needed to establish the effect of low to moderate drinking on the unborn child, researchers say.
In an article published in the Medical Journal of Australia yesterday, researchers found about 80 per cent of women drink alcohol during pregnancy - a figure that has remained steady despite changes in government guidelines.
The federal government's advice before October 2001 was that women who were pregnant or might soon become pregnant should abstain from alcohol.
It then recommended low intake, of up to two drinks a day and less than seven drinks a week, before changing the message back to abstinence last year.
The study of about 1200 women found the guidelines had little effect, and women's alcohol intake before pregnancy was the strongest indicator of their approach during pregnancy.
The lead author, University of Newcastle statistician Jennifer Powers, described the current situation as ''untenable''.
''The inconsistency of Australian alcohol guidelines is confusing for pregnant women and health practitioners,'' she said.