Family alcohol problems among pregnant women: Links with maternal substance use and birth abnormalities

Between 1980 and 1983 a prospective study of 1008 pregnant women was conducted in South East Scotland, to investigate whether or not maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy was associated with birth abnormalities. The initial results indicated that maternal drinking was associated with such abnormalities, but that alcohol appeared to play a relatively minor role in causing such harm. An extended analysis was conducted to investigate possible links between the maternal use of alcohol, tobacco, prescribed and illegal drugs, birth abnormalities and family alcohol problems amongst pregnant women. Women who had experienced alcohol problems were significantly more likely than other women to have used illegal drugs but were not distinctive in relation to the number of birth abnormalities evident amongst their offspring. In addition females whose spouses/partners or parents had experienced alcohol problems did not produce more damaged babies than those with no such family alcohol problems. Curiously, women whose fathers had been problem drinkers produced offspring with fewer birth abnormalities than did other women. © 1987