Pregnancy and Alcohol: Many Obstetrician-Gynecologists are Unsure about Risks or How to Assess Women's Use

Abstract

In 1998 the American Academy of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) conducted a national survey among a sample of active members of the organization plus the members of an ACOG research network of physicians. The survey asked doctors about their alcohol screening practices their opinions about the level of use that puts women at risk of particular adverse outcomes and their counseling and referral practices for pregnant women who drink moderately or heavily. Of the 604 obstetrician-gynecologists who completed the survey only 30% of the doctors felt very prepared to assess a pregnant womans alcohol use and 83% said that they need information on thresholds at which prenatal drinking poses specific threat to the pregnancy or the fetus. Moreover although the federal government has for 20 years advised pregnant women to refrain from drinking about half of the doctors believed that occasional use of alcohol during pregnancy will not increase the risk of several adverse outcomes. Several suggestions on the issue are cited.