CDC tells young women to avoid alcohol if not using birth control
CDC tells young women to avoid alcohol if not using birth control
The CDC says women ages 15-44 who are sexually active and not using contraception should avoid alcohol completely.
The sweeping warning came out Tuesday in a move to reduce cases of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).
Half of all pregnancies in the United States are now unplanned, meaning many women may be drinking while pregnant for 4-6 weeks and not know it.
“Alcohol use during pregnancy is associated with a range of adverse reproductive outcomes and can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, characterized by lifelong physical, behavioral, and intellectual disabilities,” says the report.
Last September, the CDC reported that 1 in 10 pregnant women in the United States said they drank alcohol while pregnant, and nearly a third of those who self-reported drinking while pregnant also reported binge drinking.
3 in 4 women who want to get pregnant ASAP are drinking alcohol. #VitalSigns https://t.co/ao9rV1mO6y pic.twitter.com/8K5CVMz4eG
— CDC (@CDCgov) February 3, 2016
Epidemiological studies in the United States have shown that Fetal Alcohol Syndrome impacts Native Americans at the highest rates, followed by African-Americans.
