Alcohol and Pregnancy

Is there a safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy? The answer is no. This even includes the period while trying to get pregnant. In fact, alcohol has risks to a pregnancy before a woman might even know she is pregnant. Alcohol crosses from maternal blood to the fetus. Potential risks alcohol can have on a pregnancy include: miscarriage, stillbirth, intellectual disability, and birth defects.
Outside of pregnancy, risky alcohol use also has other negative consequences on health, including increased risks of motor vehicle accidents, heart disease, elevated blood pressure, liver disease, many types of cancers, difficulty with memory and concentration, mental health and social concerns, and much more (CDC). The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines heavy alcohol use for women as more than 3 drinks in a day or more than 7 drinks in a week. Moderate drinking is defined as no more than 1 drink a day for women and 2 drinks a day for men. There has been an increase in alcohol consumption rates during the COVID-19 pandemic, with alcohol sales in Wisconsin increasing by 17% from June 2020 to June 2021, according to the Wisconsin Department of Administration and Department of Revenue 2021.
There are many actions you can take to prevent alcohol exposed pregnancies. If you are thinking about getting pregnant, it is safest to avoid alcohol completely. If you are not interested in pregnancy, it is recommended to drink within moderation and consider discussing reliable contraception methods with your health care provider.
UW Health Belleville Clinic and the Belleville Area Cares Coalition are working to bring the CHOICES program to our communities to educate and help patients prevent alcohol exposed pregnancies. If you are interested in learning more and to see if you qualify to participate, please reach out to Cathy Kalina at cathyk@fsmad.org. If you are concerned or have questions about your alcohol use, I encourage you to speak to your health care provider.