CDC aggregated and analyzed BRFSS data from 2011–2013 from all 50 states and the District of Columbia for 206,481 women aged 18–44 years, 8,383 (4.0%) of whom were pregnant at the time of interview. The prevalence of any alcohol use (any alcohol consumption in the past 30 days) and the prevalence of binge drinking (four drinks or more on at least one occasion in the past 30 days) were estimated for both pregnant and nonpregnant women. The prevalence of binge drinking among nonmarried pregnant women was 4.6 times the prevalence among married pregnant women. A third of the pregnant women who drank reported consuming four or more drinks in rapid succession, known as "binge drinking," according to the study based on a telephone survey. One possible explanation for this might be that women who binge drink during pregnancy are more likely to be alcohol-dependent than the average female binge drinker, and therefore binge drink more frequently. College graduates were twice as likely to drink during pregnancy as non-graduates, the study found, possibly because of higher discretionary income or because alcohol consumption was considered "socially acceptable" during their college years. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is also a risk factor for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) and other adverse birth outcomes, making alcohol use during pregnancy a leading preventable cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities. The study should be a call to action for pregnant women, who often receive "mixed messages" in the media about whether it is safe to drink during pregnancy, Tan said.
– One in 10 pregnant women admit to imbibing alcohol and—even more worrisome for health officials—one in 33 admit to binge drinking in the past month, according to a report published by the CDC. "Any alcohol use during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of birth defects and developmental disabilities," the study's author, Cheryl Tan, tells Reuters. According to the Los Angeles Times, pregnant college grads were more likely to drink than pregnant high-school dropouts, older pregnant women were more likely to drink than younger pregnant women, employed pregnant women were more likely to drink than unemployed pregnant women, and unmarried pregnant women were more likely to drink than married pregnant women. But it was the statistics about binge drinking—defined as having four or more drinks at one time—that most surprised researchers, Reuters reports. Those who do binge drink do so an average of 4.6 times a month, even more than non-pregnant women who binge drink (3.1). It's a dispiriting finding for US health officials hoping to end pregnant binge drinking by 2020, according to the Times. Tan tells Reuters she hopes the study can help combat "mixed messages" from the media on the safety of drinking while pregnant. "It's really important to remember that there is no safe amount, no safe time, and no safe type of alcohol to drink during pregnancy," she says. The data for the study comes from a national phone survey of more than 8,300 pregnant women. (Binge drinking is super bad for your immune system.)