A large number of the medical and public health authorities advocate for complete abstinence by pregnant mothers during their pregnancy period. The alcohol abstinence principle invocates the protective principles because there is no conclusive evidence on the alcohol intake threshold not harmful to the babies. Heavy drinking has lethal impacts including growth restriction, problems with neurodevelopment and fetal syndrome caused by alcohol among others. Additionally, excessive alcohol intake causes preterm birth that later translates to averagely 35 % of the neonatal deaths according to the world statistics (Dale, Bakketeig, & Magnus, 2016). This research explores the link between alcohol intake prior to and throughout the pregnancy and the peril of preterm birth amongst first-time mothers.
Key Results of the Research
Among those who participated in the study, 91 percent consumed alcohol prior to becoming pregnant. However, less than 20 percent were reported to consume alcohol during their pregnancy period. Adjusted odds ratios of the preterm births linked with alcohol consumption before pregnancy was 0.81 or 95 percent. Nonetheless, there was no risk reduction in overall alcohol consumption in the pregnancy period (Dale, Bakketeig, & Magnus, 2016). That notwithstanding, analyses of dose-response illustrated tendencies towards lethal effects at the time of drinking one to three times in a month at the initial two weeks of pregnancy since the adjusted odds ratio was 1.51.
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Different Groups in the Study
The study focused on the Norwegian pregnant mothers who were in attendance of the routine ultrasound examinations and the gestation weeks 17 to 18 respectively. The research targeted different groups of pregnant women at different gestation age or the date of latest menstrual period. The data regarding the maternal age on childbirth was categorically listed with age as 35 years and above, “30-34,” “25-29,” “20-24” and less than 20 years. Moreover, the study also targeted the women who testified to have taken alcohol before the pregnancy and those who reported drinking during the pregnancy (Dale, Bakketeig, and Magnus, 2016).
Differences in the Results between the Groups in the Study
The study indicated a lower statistical risk of preterm birth among the women who practiced prepregnancy drinking since the adjusted odds ratio was 0.81 translating to 95 percent. In addition, analysis of the ratio on dose-response indicates a reduction in risk with the increase in the average consumption frequency. Nonetheless, a parallel link was not present amongst those who recounted to have drunk at the initial pregnancy stages. At the first 15 weeks of gestation, the peril of preterm birth was lowered considerably for the pregnant women who accepted to have been consuming alcohol before becoming pregnant. Conversely, the case was not the same after pregnancy, and the nondrinkers acted as the reference. Study of children born at gestation week 22 showed preterm births with adjusted odds rate of 0.84 or 95 % prepregnancy and 1.03 during pregnancy. Nonresponse mothers recorded as non-drinkers also had similar adjusted odds rate of 95 % prepregnancy and 95% during pregnancy (Dale, Bakketeig, & Magnus, 2016).
From those mentioned above, the study groups were categorically divided using both maternal age and gestation age. Notably, the study suggested consumption of alcohol 15 weeks prior to pregnancy was linked with lower preterm birth risks. Also, there was no observable effect of preterm birth on the pregnant women who consumed liquor during the pregnancy. However, analysis of dose-response illustrated tendencies towards adverse impacts at drinking 1-3 times every month in the first trimester.
Reference
Dale, M. T., Bakketeig, L. S., & Magnus, P. (2016). Alcohol consumption among first-time mothers and the risk of preterm birth: a cohort study. Annals of epidemiology , 26 (4), 275-282.
