Recent recommendations for women drew ire of some women. A report released by the Center of Disease Control (CDC) on Wednesday said women who are sexually active and not on birth control should not consume alcohol at any point. This is because of the risk a woman may drink while unknowingly pregnant.
“Every woman who has a drink, or even multiple drinks, before she realizes she’s pregnant is not going to give birth to a baby affected by fetal alcohol syndrome,” said Dr. Daniel Jackson, a maternal fetal specialist at MU Health Care. “But, the consequences of it can be incredibly severe.”
According to the CDC, more than 3 million women put themselves at risk by not being on birth control and drinking while having sex. Over half of the pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned and women may not know they are pregnant until they are 4-6 weeks into the process.
The disease is harmful, but is quite rare. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a report that fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is the leading known cause of mental retardation in America. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says fetal alcohol syndrome disorder happens to nearly 40,000 newborns a year.
Jackson said all women need to have a discussion about birth control with their doctors and to figure out what would be the best plan for each individual.
“A lot of patients think that we only see them when they are pregnant or are having some kind of problem, but a lot of what we do is preventative care and education for exactly this kind of thing,” Jackson said.