Buzz
There’s a valuable takeaway hidden in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recent misstep regarding alcohol and pregnancy: Women often don’t realize they’re pregnant for weeks, so if you're trying to conceive, it’s wise to start managing your alcohol consumption now.
A pregnancy test won’t show a positive result during the first two weeks after conception, and typical symptoms like morning sickness appear even later. This is why it’s recommended to begin taking prenatal vitamins while trying to conceive, not just after confirming pregnancy. The embryo’s brain is particularly vulnerable to alcohol around two to three weeks post-conception, though alcohol can harm the developing fetus at any stage.
The CDC reports that half of pregnancies are unplanned, and many women continue to drink even after deciding to try for a baby: about 75% of young women drink, regardless of their pregnancy plans.
This leads to the question: Is any amount of alcohol safe in the early stages of pregnancy? The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics both advise against drinking. However, the true answer is likely more nuanced. While binge drinking or regular alcohol use poses a clear risk to the fetus, we lack studies that determine whether moderate drinking has long-term effects on children as they grow up.
In essence, it comes down to this: if you're trying to conceive, think carefully about the potential risks of having a few drinks. And if you're regularly partying without considering pregnancy, make sure to back that decision up by using reliable birth control.
Photo by Danny Baza Blas.
