Alcohol and pregnancy
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If you're planning a pregnancy or think you could become pregnant, the safest approach is to not drink alcohol.
This is because drinking in pregnancy can lead to long-term harm to your baby. The more you drink the greater the risk.
Men should avoid excessive drinking, which can affect fertility. If you choose to drink, stay within recommended limits.
No alcohol means no risk to baby
If you were drinking alcohol before you realised you were pregnant, it's best to stop now and avoid any more alcohol in your pregnancy. The risk of harm to baby is likely to be low if you have drunk only small amounts of alcohol before you knew you were pregnant or during pregnancy.
When speaking about alcohol with your midwife, be honest about how alcohol fits into your life. Your midwife can help with any questions you have and support you to be alcohol-free in pregnancy.
Alcohol can easily cross the placenta and affect baby's development. There's no known safe level of drinking alcohol during pregnancy. The more alcohol, the more the risk - 'binge' drinking is especially risky, but any alcohol may cause harm.
Being alcohol-free in pregnancy reduces the risk of:
- early birth
- underweight birth
- miscarriage
- stillbirth
- Sudden Unexplained Death in Infancy (SUDI)
Supporting alcohol-free pregnancies (videos)
A series of videos from Public Health NHS Highland.
Important: Alcohol and pregnancy
There's no known safe limit of drinking during pregnancy. Some people will tell you that having the odd drink when you’re pregnant is okay. The safest option is to stop drinking when you’re trying to get pregnant or as soon as you know you’re pregnant.
More about alcohol and pregnancy from NHS informFetal alcohol spectrum disorder
Being alcohol-free in pregnancy prevents Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). FASD is a lifelong condition caused by baby being exposed to alcohol during pregnancy. Alcohol is a toxin and interferes with baby's development. This can affect learning, behaviour and physical and mental health.
For more information, speak to your midwife or visit:
- FASD Hub Scotland from Adoption UK
- The National Organisation for FASD
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