Can pregnant women drink vodka? Alcohol during pregnancy - can you drink, the effect on the embryo and the consequences of libation. Can I drink alcohol during pregnancy: expert opinion

Every expectant mother knows that alcohol is harmful during pregnancy. Strong drinks can cause various changes in the human body. The irreversibility of pathological processes depends on the amount of alcohol consumed. It should also be taken into account that it can affect not only the well-being of the mother, but also her future baby.

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During pregnancy, insidious alcohol is harmful in any quantity. Therefore, do not rely on the fact that a couple of glasses of wine a week will not interfere with carrying a child. Regular red wine has the potential to seriously impact nascent life.

Drinking alcohol is especially dangerous in the early weeks of your pregnancy. It can cause irreversible consequences. Let's take a closer look at this.

The harmful effects of alcohol

During pregnancy, a competent doctor will always tell a woman if she can drink alcohol. This is not worth doing. The fact is that due to the regular intake of alcohol in a woman's body, her placenta ceases to fully fulfill its functions. That is why the developing baby is lacking in nutrients.

Toxic alcoholic beverages are very harmful for pregnant women

In addition, toxins are formed during the breakdown of alcohol. The liver of a pregnant woman cannot handle them completely. Because of this, acetaldehyde begins to appear in the body, which is dangerous to the fetus.

When, in the early stages of gestation, a woman even occasionally drinks alcohol, the process of division and formation is disrupted in the cells of the fetus. Including brain cells are affected. This becomes the cause of a huge number of pathologies. Also check with pregnancy.

How alcohol affects the fetus

Every woman needs to know exactly how alcohol can affect pregnancy. Occasional or frequent drinking can cause the following abnormalities in a baby:

• pathologies of the central nervous system, including impaired motor, visual coordination;
• the appearance of congenital defects in appearance: "cleft palate", "cleft lip";
• too low growth of the baby can also be a consequence of the influence of harmful alcohol on pregnancy;
• specific facial features: the baby has very narrow eyes, a flat face, a small head, disorders may not appear immediately, but only 2-3 years after birth;
• insufficient body weight after childbirth, usually the weight of a fetus with serious psychophysical disorders is a maximum of 2.5 kg, if the pathologies are less pronounced, then the children weigh a little more, but still their weight is less than the established norm (however, you need to take into account the structural features of the parents if the mother before pregnancy weighed 50 kg, and her height is 160 cm, then 2.5 - 3 kg for her child is the norm);
• the influence of various alcohol consumed during pregnancy on the fetus can cause the child to have difficulties in assimilating information in preschool and school age;
• the appearance of congenital heart defects.

During pregnancy, you also need to know if it is possible to consume various types of alcohol at a later date. Even one glass of wine can trigger premature labor. This is only a small part of how alcohol can affect the fetus. In the modern world, the number of diagnoses of alcohol syndrome in children is constantly increasing.

Doctors forbid alcoholic beverages while carrying a baby

When a woman drinks alcohol in the first month of her pregnancy, the baby can die in 20% of cases. If we compare this indicator among non-drinking mothers, then it is at the level of 2%. Moreover, even if the baby survives, in the overwhelming majority of cases he will lag far behind his peers in physical and mental development. Regular seizures of epilepsy are not excluded.

Only one third of women who drank alcohol during their early pregnancy have successful children. But usually this well-being is only temporary, and after a few years various developmental problems arise. It is already known that alcohol, which circulates in a woman's blood, can easily enter the fetus.

When a woman regularly takes alcohol not only before the delay, but also in the early stages of her pregnancy, all systems and vital organs of the woman are often affected: the thyroid gland, heart, nervous system, liver. These changes can adversely affect the fetus. Alcohol penetrates the placenta, so the baby remains defenseless against its harmful effects.

Planning your baby

Planning for conception should be started in advance in order to prevent the negative consequences of drinking alcohol. You need to learn more about whether you can take alcohol when planning a pregnancy. Not only a woman, but also a man should take care of himself, because during conception, the paternal and maternal germ cells merge. Therefore, the father-to-be is also responsible for the health and development of his children. Please note that it takes about three months for new sperm to mature, so a man needs to stop drinking.

If you do not stop drinking alcohol completely, sedentary cells with DNA abnormalities can appear, which can affect sperm quality. Three months before the intended conception, it is necessary to completely stop taking alcohol. Alcohol can interfere with pregnancy planning due to several factors.

1. Decrease in orgastic experiences.
2. Decreased erection.
3. Decreased male libido.

Scientists have carried out research and found that the delayed intrauterine development of the fetus occurs due to the father's addiction to alcohol. It doesn't matter how often he drinks.

Carrying a healthy baby is a great happiness

Excessive passion for alcohol also becomes the cause of the development of fetal alcohol syndrome. Small doses can reduce sperm motility and vitality. Damage to the hereditary and genetic structure of the sperm has an extremely negative impact on the health of the unborn child. Some doctors believe that you can drink no more than 25 ml of alcohol per day. This is about 200 grams of dry wine or 60 grams of vodka. However, most doctors are convinced that it is necessary to completely stop drinking.

A woman's set of eggs is formed before she is born, while the fetus develops inside the womb. This set will be with her all her life, but it changes under the influence of negative factors. One of them is alcohol.

Alcohol is able to "poison" the eggs, which significantly increases the risk of having a baby with pathologies. Any doctor will answer whether it is possible to drink alcohol at least occasionally during pregnancy, but he will not be able to say which dose is capable of poisoning the eggs. This is a very individual question.

For some women, one glass of wine is enough for their entire pregnancy for the baby to be born weak or with some kind of abnormality. And some expectant mothers do not limit themselves during conception planning, but this does not affect their baby in any way. In any case, you need to play it safe and give up alcohol six months or a year before conception. This is a prerequisite if you want to give birth to a healthy and strong baby.

Some girls ask doctors if alcohol can affect a pregnancy test. No, not capable. Home diagnostics only determines the increase in the amount of a certain hormone. Alcohol in the blood will not affect her in any way. Find out more and how it works.

Artem Avdeev, gynecologist.

Alcohol in early pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage. Therefore, you should not take such risks. Even a small amount of wine can cause fetal abnormalities.

Karina Miloslavskaya, obstetrician-gynecologist.

A moderate amount of discharge can provoke changes in the brain, let alone the regular use of alcohol. Worst of all, it is not always possible to fix abnormalities in the development of the baby until he is born.

Arseny Korolev, gynecologist.

Alcohol in early pregnancy affects the central nervous system, liver, and vascular system. The mental potential of the fetus suffers. Passion for drinking will surely cause serious pathologies and deformities.

: Borovikova Olga

gynecologist, ultrasound doctor, geneticist

There should be no doubt that alcohol has a detrimental effect on the development of the fetus and the health of the child in the future. Much has been written, heard and discussed about this. However, a significant number of pregnant women believe that use and abuse are not the same thing. Is there a difference between these concepts when a new life has arisen within you? Can an expectant mother afford to take a sip? And what is the permissible dose of alcohol during this crucial period?

Scientists and doctors have already tried to clarify this issue many times. And each time they found a new answer to it. Moreover, there is still no unambiguously correct among them. But the opinion of scientific luminaries on this matter has nevertheless changed significantly.

It used to be thought that a glass of good wine was not only safe, but even useful for a pregnant woman. raises hemoglobin and increases appetite - this is extremely important for mom now. So, it is necessary. No one can establish strict certain limits in acceptable doses, since everyone has their own border: the body reacts to alcohol in a very individual way. And what is the norm for one woman, for another can be overkill. On average, they were allowed to sip a glass of wine per week.

But it was worth everything and nothing: to look a little further, inside the woman. Could this be beneficial to the fetus? Today it has been proven that a child in the womb "drinks" alcohol with her. True, not in the same amount as mommy, but exactly half of what she took on her chest. Although recent data indicate that alcohol penetrates the placental barrier in full. There is a lot to be said about how ethyl alcohol affects the embryo. But this is usually not required to clarify the picture. Because your position and desire drink during pregnancy will depend on only one thing: do you think that for such a tiny and defenseless creature, not yet born, but already living and functioning like you, there is at least some safe dose of alcohol? Even if he gets 5 grams out of the ten you drink? Will it kill him? And even worse: will it cripple?

That is why modern doctors have already taken a completely different position: there are no safe doses of alcohol during pregnancy. No one (and perhaps even ever) will tell you for sure how many grams of wine or will be fatal for your baby. And worst of all: no one except you will be held responsible for this later. This does not mean at all that a sip of beer, for example, can end in tragedy for your offspring. But this does not guarantee the opposite either.

Another fresh conclusion: there is no difference between alcoholic beverages during pregnancy. And if earlier doctors argued that whiskey, brandy, vodka, liqueurs and the like are now banned for you, and wine and beer are on the list of allowed, then recent scientific studies prove another thing: any alcohol is equally potentially dangerous for offspring.

Don't panic if you've been walking around a lot without knowing you are pregnant. In the early days, while the embryo is still on its way to the uterus, it is dangerous only in the sense that it can provoke a spontaneous abortion. But then you won't even know about pregnancy. Until the placenta is formed and the fetus begins to feed from you, there is no danger from alcohol. On average, two weeks between fertilization and missed menstruation are considered absolutely safe. Of course, if for some reason the doses of alcohol were too high and were consumed daily, it is worth telling the doctor about it. If not, relax. But later, as soon as the embryo lands and begins to develop and grow, there can be no talk of alcohol! The smallest drop in the first trimester can cause pathologies and deformities. This period is the most important and dangerous.

I would like to say a few words about the father's responsibility for the health of his offspring. If the pregnancy is planned, then the man must give up alcohol at least 4 months before conception in order to eliminate the influence of alcoholon heredity. Scientists have established a link between father's alcoholism and delayed intrauterine development of the fetus. Some of them believe that excessive alcohol consumption by the child's father can also cause fetal alcohol syndrome in him. Even small doses of regularly consumed alcohol can reduce sperm motility and damage their hereditary structure, which will negatively affect the health of the unborn child. It is considered safe alcohol doseabout 25 milliliters of alcohol per day, that is, 150-250 grams of dry wine or 60 grams of vodka. How much did your child's father drink?

We do not want to intimidate you. So far, this is only a theory, one hundred percent not proven. But the fact that with the onset of pregnancy you are fully responsible for your decisions and actions is an indisputable fact.

If you are adamant and you are not impressed by any of the above, here are some opinions on the allowable doses:

• Sometimes, 2-3 times during pregnancy, you can afford 100-200 g of natural dry wine.
• In the second trimester, ethanol increases the risk if a woman drinks more than 30 ml of alcohol twice a week.
• A 70-pound woman, for example, can drink only 50 g of red wine, and surprisingly, the negative effect after drinking alcohol already begins to take effect within 90 minutes.
• Most studies have confirmed that four to five elementary doses of alcohol per day are sufficient for the occurrence of fetal alcohol syndrome. However, in a mild form, abnormalities also occur with two doses per day (28 g of alcohol).
• If you do drink, then you need to consume one, maximum two drinks per week, and then - during meals.

How does alcohol affect pregnancy?

Well, for dessert. Just a couple of facts about the impact of alcohol during the period when you create and control, albeit not all, but many of the conditions for your child's development. This is exactly what depends on you. This is what you influence and what you decide. And nobody else.

• Moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy increases the likelihood of miscarriage, and excessive alcohol consumption often leads to fetal abnormalities. Chronic binge drinking during pregnancy can lead to a fetal abnormality called fetal alcohol syndrome.
• Scientists have proven that mild, moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy can lead to lasting changes in the brain, and most importantly, you don't see the damage.
• If alcohol enters the blood of the fetus, then the liver, vascular system, as well as those structures of the brain that determine mental activity are primarily affected.
• If drugs are used together with alcohol, the probable harm to the fetus increases many times over. Pain relievers and excitatory drugs, as well as drugs for seizures, are especially dangerous.
• When a woman drinks alcohol, her eggs are damaged, each of which carries genetic information about your unborn child. So alcohol is dangerous even before pregnancy.
• The child of "culturally" drinking parents has a lower body weight, smaller stature and lags behind in development from peers born of teetotalers. Such a child has a weakened immune system and is more susceptible to various diseases. But most importantly: he has an innate predisposition to alcoholism.
• All types of alcohol are toxic to a growing, developing fetus. Any drink containing alcohol is potentially harmful to the fetus.
• Be careful when using over-the-counter medicines

Today there are different opinions about whether it is possible to drink alcohol during pregnancy. The decision to use an intoxicant or not, each woman makes independently. However, when making such a decision, it is necessary to have an idea of \u200b\u200bwhat the consequences of drinking alcohol may manifest in a future newborn child.

Is there a tolerable dose?

The opinions of gynecologists about the dose of alcohol permissible for a pregnant woman differ. The consumption of alcoholic beverages by the expectant mother can harm the embryo developing in her body. Therefore, most doctors agree that during pregnancy and until the end of breastfeeding, the mother should exclude such drinks from her diet.

However, some doctors believe that ethyl alcohol in small quantities, about 100 ml of low-alcohol drinks per week, will not cause significant harm to the health of the unborn child.

When planning

During the period, a woman is advised not to drink alcohol. The fact is that ethyl alcohol can have a negative effect on the eggs contained in her body, thereby reducing their quality, which as a result can lead to health problems in the future baby. Medical statistics claim that healthy children are more often born to non-drinking mothers than to those who allowed themselves to drink intoxicants.

During pregnancy planning, a woman is advised not to drink alcohol.

No obvious relationship was found between the child's health and his father's attitude to alcohol. However, in order to avoid the fading of pregnancy in a woman, her partner should also give up alcohol during the period of planning a child.

In the early stages

Even before the delay of menstruation, when a woman does not even know about pregnancy, alcohol consumption can either cause a miscarriage or not harm the fetus in any way. This is possible, since in the first month the formation of internal organs in the unborn baby has not yet begun.

However, as soon as a woman finds out about her new situation, she should immediately stop drinking alcohol, as it is especially dangerous in the first trimester of pregnancy. At this time, the formation of tissues, internal organs and the brain takes place in the embryo. Development may go wrong, and this process will be irreversible.

In the second trimester, when the organs of the embryo are already formed, it is also not recommended for a pregnant woman to include alcohol-containing drinks in her diet. During this period, the risk of developing pathologies in a child under the influence of alcohol is no longer so great, but ethyl alcohol can provoke premature birth.

At a later date

In the third trimester of pregnancy, the future baby is already formed and only continues to grow and develop, but even here alcohol can cause harm, causing fetal hypoxia. The probability of such a development of events is 50%. It is impossible to reliably determine in advance whether a woman will harm her child by drinking or red in small doses. But knowing that even 1 glass can cause big problems in the future, doctors recommend not taking risks and refraining from alcohol.

What drinks are allowed and not

If there is no way to avoid drinking alcohol, for example, at a family celebration or a birthday party for friends, then it is better to limit yourself to small doses of weak drinks, such as beer, champagne, dry red wine or vermouth diluted with fruit juice.

There is no safe alcohol during pregnancy.

However, it should always be remembered that these drinks, especially homemade wine, depending on the method of their preparation, can contain various doses of ethyl alcohol from very small to significant. Strong alcoholic beverages, such as whiskey or vodka, containing 38-40% alcohol, should be discarded immediately.

What if you really want to?

If a pregnant woman wants to drink any alcohol-containing drink for a long time, this may indicate a lack of vitamins and minerals in her body. In order not to fight this craving and not limit your body in getting what you want, alcohol can be replaced with non-alcoholic analogues. So, if you really want beer, you can drink kvass instead of it without harm to the body and the fetus. Red wine can be easily replaced with pomegranate or grape juice, and sparkling wines can be easily replaced with simple lemonade.

A question that worries many pregnant women: is it possible to drink alcohol while in such an interesting position? Doctors unanimously say: no, drinking alcohol when another man is growing inside a woman is extremely dangerous. And during breastfeeding, especially in the first three months, alcohol can adversely affect the health of the baby.

Why is alcohol not allowed during pregnancy?

Various studies have shown that alcoholic beverages, even in small quantities, have a detrimental effect on the human body. Alcohol and its decay products in the blood "clog" the circulatory system, make the liver, kidneys and other internal organs work with increased force. Alcohol is quickly absorbed through the walls of the stomach and intestines, which weakens them and makes them work worse.

The effect of alcohol on the body depends on the degree of alcoholism, that is, the time during which strong drinks were taken, and on the intensity of their intake.

Pathological changes in the body will not keep you waiting if you drink alcohol regularly and in large quantities.

The list of diseases associated with alcoholism, alas, is large and widely known not only to medical specialists. Among the "alcoholic" diseases:

• stroke;
• cirrhosis of the liver;
• a stomach or intestinal ulcer;
• obesity;
• impotence;
• dementia and other equally dangerous deviations.

In the case of the embryo in the mother's body, the situation is even more serious. Doctors categorically do not recommend drinking alcohol during pregnancy, even in small quantities.

The consequences of drinking alcohol during pregnancy

The question is often asked: why is it forbidden for expectant mothers to consume even small doses of alcohol? The answer is really simple.

Alcohol easily penetrates the bloodstream, and together with the blood - into the fetus. The placenta cannot muffle the effects of alcohol. It is like a sponge that absorbs all substances that fall on it.

Alcohol and its decay products literally bombard the embryo, causing irreversible changes in the structure of internal organs and in the structure of DNA, thereby increasing the likelihood of developing deformities and incurable diseases. In addition, alcohol entering the circulatory system takes up most of the blood flow and blocks oxygen from entering the body.

The embryo is experiencing not only oxygen starvation, but also a lack of nutrients, which in the mother's body are spent on the fight against the neutralization of alcohol and its decay products. Therefore, it is best not to consume alcohol during pregnancy.

Ethanol, penetrating into the blood of the fetus, causes a teratogenic effect (in Greek teratos means "monster"). The effect manifests itself in the fact that the baby acquires congenital irreversible deformities and abnormalities. It is not known which of them will appear, but experiments on chicken embryos confirm that with the systematic use of alcohol during pregnancy, the embryos are born sick and unviable.

So, if a pregnant woman has consumed alcohol, the likelihood that her unborn child will acquire the following deviations sharply increases:

• distortion of the development of the facial area (deformities on the face): underdevelopment of the cheekbones, distortion of the lower jaw, cleft lip, narrow eyes, and so on;
• disproportionate physique;
• hydrocephalus (dropsy, large head);
• dwarfism or gigantism;
• extremely low birth weight;
• microcephaly (insufficient development of parts of the brain);
• incomplete overgrowth of the spinal canal;
• heart disease;
• joint pathology;
• distortion of the structure of internal organs;
• myopia and blindness;
• hermaphroditism.

Of course, every woman decides for herself whether pregnant women can drink, but she should be aware of the possible risk.

Is there a tolerable dose?

From time to time, there are reports on the Internet that "according to the latest research, pregnant and lactating women can drink a little alcohol." At the same time, it is indicated that the children of women who "slightly" violated the "dry law" are ahead of their peers in development and socialization.

On the other hand, physicians have many examples when even a small dose of alcohol was fatal for a child. How much you can drink while wearing the fetus is up to every woman herself. However, doctors strongly recommend that you stop drinking any, even the smallest dose of alcohol.

For some reason, it is believed that weak alcoholic beverages such as beer, champagne or natural red wine can be consumed during pregnancy. Some researchers even calculate how much alcohol is acceptable for a pregnant woman.

For example, it is believed that there will not be much harm from drinking 50-100 g of weak alcohol once a week. There have been no studies to support or refute this opinion.

Sometimes the question arises: is it possible to drink in moderation during pregnancy? But where is the line between "moderate" and "abuse"?

If you can't, but you want, can you?

Do not give in to persuasion to drink for the company. The question of whether to drink or not drink, everyone decides for himself. Remember that even "cultural" drinking of alcohol can lead to irreversible changes in the fetus's body, and an innocent baby will have to pay for your momentary weakness all his life.

If you can't refuse to drink alcohol, you need to mitigate the consequences as much as possible: do not drink on an empty stomach, be sure to have a snack, you can drink a couple of tablets of activated carbon after the glass. And even better, if you need to hide the pregnancy, just sip a drink or imperceptibly pour yourself some mineral water, or say that you are driving or drinking medications that are not compatible with alcohol.

It is believed that alcohol can be drunk while breastfeeding. In fact, the risk for a baby to receive an "alcoholic stroke" is much less than that of a fetus. Alcohol does not go directly into the bloodstream, but through milk, some of it is still perceived by the baby. And this can negatively affect its growth and development. For example, among drinking parents, children are often delayed in physical development. So, is it possible to consume alcohol while breastfeeding is a controversial question. If you care about your baby's health, it's best not to risk it. And if you have already consumed a couple of glasses of alcohol, it is better to express the incoming milk and feed the baby in a couple of hours. Alcohol accumulates in the mammary gland, and if you feed the baby with this milk, nothing good will come of it.

Alcoholism and bad habits

If you do not abuse alcohol, then the probability of deviations in a child is not as high as in families in which the use of alcohol is in the order of things. And if the relationship between the father's alcoholism and the diseases of his child has not yet been fully proven, then the connection between the alcohol consumption of a pregnant woman and fetal diseases is obvious. In dysfunctional families, both parents of which suffer from alcoholism, sick and mentally retarded children are not uncommon. And what is even sadder, there is no one to take care of the helpless and defenseless disabled.