CDC report finds alcohol use while pregnant is on the rise

New data released on Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that the prevalence of drinking during pregnancy has increased in recent years. According to national survey data published in a CDC report, about 15% of adult pregnant women reported current drinking (use in the prior 30 days) between 2021 and 2024, compared to about 13.5% between 2018 and 2020.

While these numbers may lag behind current trends, they highlight an ongoing health issue that experts feel receives too little attention. Despite the common perception that drinking during pregnancy is a thing of the past, the report’s authors emphasize that alcohol consumption during pregnancy remains a significant public health concern.

The study also found that pregnant women who were unmarried or experienced frequent mental distress were more than twice as likely to report binge drinking and heavy drinking compared to their peers. Binge drinking for women is defined as having four or more drinks in a span of two hours, while having four or more drinks on any given day is classified as heavy drinking.

Recent reporting by STAT on the harms of alcohol use in the U.S. explored evolving attitudes toward drinking during pregnancy, revealing that even some healthcare workers have adopted a relaxed view of alcohol use. The reporting also highlighted the fact that women’s alcohol use, even when problematic, often goes unaddressed more frequently than men’s.

Alcohol use during pregnancy is particularly concerning because ethanol is a known cause of birth defects and can affect nearly every stage of fetal development. It is a leading driver of intellectual disability in the United States, with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders potentially being more common than autism.

All major guidelines recommend that pregnant women abstain from all alcohol consumption during pregnancy, as no amount of alcohol has been proven safe for a developing fetus. The CDC also advises anyone who might become pregnant or is trying to conceive to stop drinking.

While alcohol use in pregnancy slightly decreased in 2024 for the first time in years, it is unclear whether this is a temporary change or a sustained trend. Alcohol-related harms have mostly not returned to pre-pandemic levels, despite a decline in alcohol use in recent years.

Routine screening for alcohol consumption and mental health conditions during pregnancy, as well as interventions like point-of-sale warning signs or alcohol sales taxes, could help reduce drinking, according to the CDC report’s authors. However, the U.S. has been slow to adopt measures that might reduce drinking rates compared to peer nations.

Efforts to raise taxes on alcohol at the state level are often unsuccessful, and alcohol screening in primary care varies in depth and quality. Many people who engage in problematic drinking do not receive counseling or interventions from their healthcare providers.

Unfortunately, tracking of alcohol use during and after pregnancy has been impeded by Trump officials, with cuts to CDC staff leaving important systems like the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) in limbo. The most recent data from 2023, which includes measures of alcohol consumption during pregnancy and the postpartum period, has not been released by the Department of Health and Human Services.

In conclusion, the issue of drinking during pregnancy remains a significant public health concern that requires continued attention and intervention to protect the health of pregnant women and their babies.