Updated: Feb. 3, 2023
A new recommendation from the CDC suggests that women should refrain from consuming alcohol, even if they are not currently pregnant. Yes, you read that correctly. If you have a uterus, the CDC believes you should stop enjoying that glass of wine because there’s a chance you might become pregnant someday. Sounds reasonable, right? Not so much.
In a report released recently, the CDC stated that women should avoid alcohol entirely if they aren’t using birth control, citing that over 3 million women in the U.S. are at risk of what they term an “alcohol-exposed pregnancy.” This sounds alarming until you see how they arrived at that number. The criteria for being “at risk” included any woman who had sexual intercourse with a male partner, consumed any alcohol, and did not use contraception. So, if someone has one small glass of wine and then engages in unprotected sex, they’re deemed at risk for an alcohol-exposed pregnancy. And based on that, we should all supposedly panic and dispose of our alcohol, right?
The CDC advocates for a “better safe than sorry” approach, suggesting total abstinence from alcohol for any woman who could potentially become pregnant. This seems a bit excessive, especially considering the CDC’s own statistics indicating that half of all pregnancies are unplanned. In reality, nearly all women could find themselves pregnant at some point. Additionally, some couples may spend long periods trying to conceive. Are we really expected to deny them the occasional glass of wine during this time simply due to the uncertainty of a single drink’s impact? That notion is rather absurd, and even the CDC’s deputy director acknowledges that quantifying the risks is complicated.
When questioned by a news outlet regarding the actual danger of fetal alcohol exposure for women who drink moderately while trying to conceive, Principal Deputy Director, Carol Thompson, stated, “We can’t assign a specific risk level to any individual woman, but we can affirm that fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are entirely preventable with no alcohol exposure. That’s why we advise against drinking alcohol at any time during pregnancy, even before confirming a pregnancy.”
Perhaps the reason women might not want to give up their occasional indulgences is quite simple: we are not merely vessels for potential offspring, and we shouldn’t have to forgo our enjoyment of life while waiting for a potential baby to appear. It’s universally accepted that alcohol can be harmful to developing fetuses, with risks of miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) being well-documented. However, insisting that all women completely abstain from alcohol due to the possibility of becoming pregnant is an unreasonable approach to addressing these concerns.
Research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health found that children born to mothers who consumed 1-2 alcoholic drinks per week during pregnancy did not show an increased risk of behavioral or cognitive issues by age five. Given this evidence, it’s not outlandish to think that having a drink or two before realizing you’re expecting may not cause harm. It’s quite unrealistic and frankly patronizing to expect women to live as if they are always on the verge of becoming mothers simply because they have reproductive organs. Advocating for the health of unborn children is commendable, but demanding women alter their lifestyles indefinitely due to the mere possibility of a surprise pregnancy is simply over the top.
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In conclusion, while the health of potential unborn babies is crucial, expecting women to completely abstain from alcohol simply because they might become pregnant is excessive and impractical.