International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Drinking during pregnancy gets more dangerous the older the mother is, according to new research.

Foetuses of mothers-to-be in their 30s and early 40s who drink are far more vulnerable to alcohol, researchers from the University of New Mexico, US, found.

Older women tend to drink more than their younger counterparts, according to the study, which was published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

This can put their offspring at greater risk of experiencing a foetal alcohol disorder.

"Our clinical experience has shown that children born to older alcoholic mothers display greater cognitive-behavioural deficits and more physical anomalies than those born to younger alcoholic mothers," said Dr Piyadasa Kodituwakku, associate professor of paediatrics and neurosciences at the University of New Mexico.

"It is important for women to understand that although previous children born to one woman following pregnancy drinking might not have been affected by the alcohol, this may not be true for subsequent pregnancies, or for other women."

Recently, a study by scientists at the University of Newcastle in Australia found 80 per cent of the women in the country were still drinking during pregnancy despite health warnings telling them not to.

Posted by Carla Mackenzie