Alcohol and pregnancy a confusing mix

A NATIONAL education campaign urging pregnant women to stop drinking is needed to end the confusion surrounding the issue and put the brakes on the number of expectant mothers still drinking alcohol.

A NATIONAL education campaign urging pregnant women to stop drinking is needed to end the confusion surrounding the issue and put the brakes on the number of expectant mothers still drinking alcohol.

DrinkWise Australia is calling on the federal Government to come up with a national approach to inform women aboutthe risks that moderate alcohol consumption can pose to their unborn children.

The industry-based group wants advisory labels targeting pregnant women on all alcoholic beverages, as well as a wider community campaign to educate not only expectant mothers but doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers.

The calls come after Food Standards Australia New Zealand suggested the introduction of alcohol warning labels targeting expectant mothers, and the National Health and Medical Research Council issued draft guidelines recommending that women drink no alcohol during pregnancy.

Research shows one in 100 Australian babies is born with some degree of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder - including irreversible brain damage - while national surveys show up to 47 per cent of women drink during their pregnancy.

DrinkWise chief executive Mike MacAvoy said there was a lot of confusion among pregnant women about whether it was acceptable to drink alcohol.

He said while there was some understanding that heavy drinking causes fetal alcohol syndrome and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, the community knew little about the risks of moderate drinking.

"Emerging research is now suggesting that moderate alcohol consumption may also harm the fetus," he said.

"For this reason, countries all over the world are advising women to avoid alcohol altogether when they are planning a pregnancy or pregnant, and it's time that Australia cemented its commitment to do the same."

Dr MacAvoy said that while DrinkWise supported advisory labels, it wasn't enough to get the message across.

"We know advisory labels are ineffective on their own," he said.

"This is why it is critical they are part of a much wider strategy involving GPinterventions, media campaigns and specialist approaches."