Last Updated on July 27, 2026 by Staff
Alcohol use during pregnancy is one of the reasons for birth defects and problems with the way babies develop. Doctors have been warning us that drinking alcohol during pregnancy is not safe because it can hurt the baby’s growth and cause problems that can last a lifetime.
A new study that was published in JAMA found out that pregnant women in the United States are drinking more alcohol now than they were ten years ago. The people who did the study looked at information from 2011 to 2024. Found that more pregnant women are drinking alcohol, binge drinking and heavy drinking.
This is bad news because drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause serious problems for the baby like birth defects and developmental disabilities. These problems can be prevented if pregnant women do not drink alcohol.
A Study Across The Country
To learn more about what’s happening the researchers looked at information from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). This is a health survey that is done by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The survey asks people questions about their health over the phone. The study included 33,729 women who were between 18 and 49 years old. These women were asked if they had alcohol in the last month.
The researchers also looked at information from women who were not pregnant to see how their drinking habits compared. They divided alcohol use into three groups: Drinking alcohol Having one or more drinks in the month. Binge drinking Having four or more drinks at one time. Heavy drinking Having eight or more drinks per week.
By looking at this information over years the researchers were able to see how alcohol use during pregnancy has changed.
More Pregnant Women Are Drinking
The study found that pregnant women are drinking alcohol now more than they were ten years ago.
In 2011-2012, about 9% of women drank alcohol. This number went up to 15% in 2021-2022. Although it went down a bit after that it is still very high at 14.5% in 2023-2024.
Pregnant women are also binge drinking and heavy drinking. In 2023-2024, about 4.6% of women were binge drinking and 2% were heavy drinking.
The researchers found out that each two-year period had more pregnant women drinking alcohol than the last one. This means that alcohol use during pregnancy is going up and it is not a temporary thing.
Tobacco Use Is Also A Problem
The study found that many pregnant women who drink alcohol also use tobacco products. About 68% of women who binge drink or heavy drink also use tobacco. This is much higher than the 31% of women who drink alcohol but do not binge drink or heavy drink. This shows that many pregnant women who drink alcohol also do things that are not good for their health.
The researchers think that doctors should be aware of this and offer help and support to these women. They also think that it is very important to screen women for substance use during their prenatal care appointments.
How Alcohol Affects The Baby
Doctors are very clear that there is no amount of alcohol for pregnant women to drink.
Alcohol can easily get to the baby. Hurt its growth and development. This can cause problems, like miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight learning disabilities and behavioral problems. The researchers are worried that even though alcohol use might have gone down a bit in the last few years it is still a very big problem.
They think that we need to do more to educate people, screen women for substance use and offer them the help and support they need to stay healthy and have healthy babies. This study is a reminder that what we do, during pregnancy can affect our babies for the rest of their lives. Not drinking alcohol during pregnancy is one of the most effective ways to help our babies grow and develop in a healthy way.