March 31, 2016.
23% of women admit having drunk alcohol at least once during their pregnancy. 3.7% admit having consumed more than three glasses of alcohol, at least once, while pregnant.
Alcohol is toxic to the fetus from the first intake
However, the studies follow one another to denounce the harmfulness of alcohol on the development of the fetus, in particular during the first three months, during the constitution of the organs. The Academy of Medicine, in a report made public at the end of March, regrets that the information of pregnant women on the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy is still so timid. Academicians note real progress since 2004 when a campaign targeting pregnant women began, but there is still some way to go.
logos too small on the bottles
Academicians thus recommend that the logo, on alcohol bottles, the pregnant woman crossed out with a prohibition sign, be enlarged, or made more visible. The slogan of the Academicians is in fact simple: “zero alcohol tolerance during pregnancy”!
To achieve this, the Academy calls for resources, stressing that the communication budget allocated by the US State Department of Health, on these alcohol and maternity problems, is … 27 times greater than the French budget.
In France, each year, 8,000 children are born victims of malformations attributed to alcohol consumption during pregnancy.. But in fact, several studies reveal that the smallest drop of alcohol consumed during gestation has an effect on the fetus, including habituation, and predisposition to alcohol consumption in the future …
Read also: Alcohol and health: good news and bad news
