Characteristics of pregnant women who engage in binge alcohol consumption

Objective: To characterize pregnant women who engage in binge drinking and to identify other risk behaviour that these women engage in. Design: Observational study based on retrospective review of records. Setting: A telephone and outpatient counselling service in Toronto that advises pregnant women about exposure to drugs, chemicals, radiation and infections during pregnancy and lactation. Participants: All pregnant women who sought counselling concerning fetal risk of exposure to binge drinking from 1985 to 1994 as well as those counselled by telephone from 1993 to 1994, and an equal number of control women who sought counselling. Outcome measures: information about binges, demographic factors, history of elective and spontaneous abortion, and use of psychotropic drugs and cigarettes as well as marijuana, cocaine and other illicit drugs. Results: Of the 3800 women seen in the clinic, 119 (3.1%) reported binge drinking during pregnancy; of the 19 991 women counselled by telephone, 153 (0.8%) reported binge drinking during pregnancy. The mean number of drinks per binge was 7.2 (standard deviation 2.5). None of the women was an alcoholic; 83.1% had binged fewer than 10 times during their pregnancy. A large majority (84.0%) of the women had a binge early in the first trimester (before 6 weeks' gestation). In comparison with control women, the women who had engaged in binge drinking were significantly younger (mean 30.0 v. 27.9 years, p < 0.0001) and more likely to be single (12.2% v. 54.6%, p < 0.0001), to be white (69.2% v. 92.9%, p < 0.004), to smoke (19.3% v. 57.1%, p < 0.0001) and to use cocaine (1.1% v. 11.0%, p < 0.0001), marijuana (3.0% v. 19.3%, p < 0.0001) and other illicit drugs (0.7% v. 9.2%, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Pregnant women who report binge alcohol consumption often report use of cigarettes, cocaine, marijuana and other illicit drugs as well, all of which represent a significant risk to the fetus. Rigorous efforts should be made to prevent the socially accepted binge consumption of alcohol among young, sexually active women.