Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Rates and Results - 2

 

Second in a series by Bruce Ritchie:

Objective: To estimate the incidence of FASD.

Summary of Exposure Rates

In Canada, 79% of babies are exposed prenatally to alcohol. More than 37% of babies have been exposed to binges of 5+ drinks per occasion in the first trimester, often before the girl knew she was pregnant. Another 42% have been exposed to multiple sessions of 1 to 4 drinks per occasion. All will be affected to some degree. Meconium studies show 15% to 18% continue to drink throughout the pregnancy, 4% at elevated levels.

Binge drinking is defined as 5 or more standard drinks on one occasion. Legally intoxicated is defined as a Blood Alcohol Level of .08%. A 100 lb (45 kg) female consuming 5 standard drinks will normally reach a BAL of .25% - three times the legal limit. (Table 6) A baby in utero will reach the same level of blood alcohol as the mother but because it has an immature digestive system, it cannot process and eliminate alcohol at the same rate as the mother. Consequently it will be exposed for longer periods to higher levels of alcohol than the mother.

In the primary fertility years between ages 12 to 49, the female who binge drinks 1 to 11 times per year has a 50% higher probability of pregnancy than those who are non-drinkers. Females who binge drink 1 to 11 times per year represent 20.0% of the female population and 24.50% of the births. In that same age range, females who binge drink 12 or more times per year represent 11.0% of the female population and 12.7% of the births. In the same age range, females who do not drink alcohol represent 25% of the female population and 20.8% of the births. As about 50% of pregnancies are unplanned, it is likely that most unplanned pregnancies are among binge and high level drinkers. “Alcohol’s only purpose is to make the brain take a hike.” (Robin Williams) It reduces inhibitions and severely impairs judgment. Those who drink at higher levels are more likely to engage in unprotected sex and less likely to consistently employ birth control. The result is a disproportionately higher percentage of babies who have been exposed to multiple sessions of binge drinking.

Table 1 Summary of Prenatal Exposure Rates - 2001

Total Canadian Births
333,744

Alcohol Exposed Babies
264,220

Total % of babies exposed to alcohol
79.17%

Number of babies exposed to Binges
124,162

% of babies exposed to Binges
37.20%

# exposed to 1 to 4 drinks per session
140,058

% exposed to 1 to 4 drinks per session
41.97%

Binge 1 to 11 times/yr increased probability of pregnancy
22.28%

Binge 12+ times/ yr increased probability of pregnancy
15.59%

Drink 1 to 4 per sitting decreased probability of pregnancy
4.46%

Non-drinker decreased probability of pregnancy
16.86%

Increased probability of pregnancy of a1 to 11 times/yr binge drinker versus a non-drinker
49.7%

Let the fetus do its job of becoming your baby.

No Booze. No Drugs. Being Real.

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