Pregnant or trying for a baby? Here's what an expert wants you to know about alcohol.

Thanks to our brand partner, Alcohol Think Again

When you're pregnant or trying to conceive, the sheer volume of advice to absorb can sometimes be… well, completely overwhelming.

It certainly doesn't help when that advice contains mixed messages, as is so often the case with guidance around alcohol use while pregnant or trying to conceive. Everyone knows someone's mum (it might even be their own) who insists they indulged in the occasional glass of wine during pregnancy with no ill effects.

It's a complex issue, made all the more difficult to discuss because of the associated stigma — an issue especially for those who may have been drinking while not realising they were pregnant.

What women and people who are assigned female at birth need is clear, evidence-based information around alcohol and pregnancy — which is why Mamamia spoke to Dr Alison Soerensen to cut through the noise.

Dr Soerensen isn't just a GP: she's also an internationally board-certified lactation consultant overseeing the feeding journeys of mums and new babies. Last year, she joined the Expert Reference Group to support the development of Western Australia's Alcohol. Think Again campaign, Amazing.

She's passionate about giving women who are pregnant, or planning pregnancy, the facts about alcohol use during pregnancy, so they can make informed decisions for the health of themselves and their babies.

Alcohol and conception

Taking things right back to the beginning (literally), Dr Soerensen confirms that drinking alcohol can influence your chances of conception.

"Alcohol disrupts hormone levels and affects both egg and sperm quality," she says. "Sperm, for example, are growing and developing over a long time, so it's definitely the case that decisions you make this weekend can affect your sperm quality later down the track."

For women planning a pregnancy, the advice not to drink alcohol comes from an "overall health perspective" — giving your pregnancy the best chance to happen in a healthy way.

"We tend to think about what happens in the first two weeks (being the two weeks after your last menstrual period) as an 'all or nothing' kind of period," Dr Soerensen explains. "It may be that alcohol in this window will affect whether a pregnancy continues. This means that alcohol exposure at this early stage does not guarantee a miscarriage will occur. However, it does increase the risk."

We know, of course, that drinking alcohol in this period doesn't automatically lead to harm — many women may drink during this time, often because they don't realise they are pregnant, and many will go on to have healthy pregnancies. But that doesn't mean alcohol has no impact.

"It's possible we won't ever really know how alcohol disrupts conception during this period," Dr Soerensen says.

This uncertainty highlights why it's safest to avoid alcohol when trying to get pregnant or during pregnancy. If you think you might be pregnant, the safest course of action is to abstain from drinking alcohol until you can take a reliable pregnancy test. 

Alcohol during pregnancy

"From around two weeks post-conception, a baby is developing rapidly until about 12 weeks. In this first trimester, alcohol particularly affects the brain, heart and eyes, which are very sensitive to all kinds of chemicals, including alcohol," Dr Soerensen explains.

"Drinking alcohol at any stage during pregnancy can cause complications like Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). FASD is a spectrum and isn't always visible because it can cause intellectual and behavioural issues, which may not be noticeable right away.

"Although we don't know exactly how alcohol affects a baby at different stages along the way, we do know that alcohol use during pregnancy passes directly into the baby's bloodstream.

"It's important to note also that alcohol increases the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth. Alcohol impacts how the placenta implants to the uterus, how the placenta is formed, and overall placental function."

Ultimately, there is no known safe level of alcohol use during pregnancy. "We don't know if there is a safe amount of alcohol, and at the end of the day can't say that the amount someone is drinking won't affect their baby."

Dr Soerensen stresses that she doesn't want to create shame for women who may have consumed alcohol during pregnancy for any number of reasons, including alcohol dependency or because they didn't know they were pregnant.

"You don't want to put women into a space of judgement and shame," she says, importantly as nearly 50 per cent of pregnancies in Australia are unplanned. "I would say to someone who didn't know they were pregnant: if you find out you're pregnant, as soon as you know, you should stop. Sometimes we just have to work with the information that we have."

"If you do use alcohol during your pregnancy, for whatever reason, reducing the amount you drink will reduce the risk of harm to the baby."

If you're concerned about your own alcohol use during pregnancy, your healthcare professional can be contacted for support. Alternatively, if you're worried about a friend or family member, you can contact the Alcohol and Drug Support Line (metro callers 9442 5000 or country callers 1800 198 024). It's never too late to stop or reduce drinking — every effort made to decrease alcohol use lowers the risk of harm.

No-alcohol products and social situations

One issue that Dr Soerensen is keen to dispel is around "low" and "no" alcohol products often branded as "zero-alcohol".

"A lot of products that are 'no' alcohol are often not alcohol-free," she advises. "The tricky thing is that they sometimes contain more alcohol than advised on the label."

For any alcoholic products that are marketed as alcohol-free or non-alcoholic alternatives (like zero-alcohol wine), it's best to check the label carefully to make sure the drink actually contains no alcohol (0.0 ABV). Some women may be comfortable with drinking products that contain small amounts of alcohol (e.g. less than 0.5 per cent ABV) but remember that drinking any amount of alcohol during pregnancy can increase the risk to your baby. 

But the good news is that, for pregnant women and people trying to conceive, there are plenty of excuses to stick to alcohol-free drinks such as juice, iced-tea or soda water.

"You can always tell people you're taking antibiotics," she notes. "And of course, you can always have a soda water with lime that someone may assume is an alcoholic beverage."

Additional benefits of avoiding alcohol

There are benefits of avoiding alcohol that go beyond trying to conceive and pregnancy, including improved mood, better sleep, increased productivity and saving money. Avoiding alcohol will also reduce your risk of health conditions later in life, like cancer and heart disease.

Dr Soerensen's takeaway? Avoiding alcohol when planning and during your pregnancy is one of the most effective ways to support a baby's health.

Find the latest evidence and information at Alcohol Think Again.

For anyone concerned about their own or another person's alcohol or drug use, including during pregnancy, the Alcohol and Drug Support Line is a free, confidential, non-judgemental telephone counselling, information and referral service. Contact them 24 hours a day on 9442 5000 or 1800 198 024 (country callers).

For FASD information and support, phone the NOFASD Helpline on 1800 860 613 or visit nofasd.org.au.

Feature Image: Canva.

Any amount of alcohol during pregnancy can interrupt the organ and brain development of an unborn baby resulting in a range of lifelong physical, mental, and behavioural disabilities, known as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).
Brain development begins just 3 weeks after conception and continues for the entire pregnancy. This means that the brain of an unborn baby can be impacted by alcohol during all three trimesters, with the earlier stages of pregnancy being particularly sensitive.
To reduce the risk of harm to an unborn baby, it's recommended those who are pregnant or planning pregnancy should not drink alcohol.