Consuming less than 4 alcoholic drinks per week does not increase risk of pre-term delivery

Question

Is there an association between the amount and type of alcohol consumed during pregnancy and the risk of pre-term delivery?

Study design

Prospective cohort study.

Main results

Of 40, 892 pregnant women, 1880 (4.6%) had pre-term delivery. The adjusted relative risk of pre-term delivery in all women consuming 2–3.5 drinks per week was lower than in non-drinkers (RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.96). The risk was not statistically significant when only nulliparous women were included. Other levels of alcohol consumption were not associated with a statistically significant increased or decreased risk of pre-term delivery compared with non-drinkers except for nulliparous women who drank ⩾7 drinks per week (RR 2.91, 95% CI 1.29 to 6.55). There was no relationship between risk of pre-term delivery and the preferred type of alcohol (wine, beer, spirits or mixed).

Authors’ conclusions

Consumption of 7 or more drinks per week was associated with an increased risk of pre-term delivery in woman having their first child. Pre-term delivery was not affected by type of alcohol intake.