Alcohol Use Disorders in Pregnancy

Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are less prevalent in pregnant women than in nonpregnant women, but these disorders can create a host of clinical challenges when encountered. Unfortunately, little evidence is available to guide clinical decision making in this population. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can have negative consequences on both fetus and mother, but it remains controversial as to the volume of alcohol consumption that correlates with these consequences. Likewise, little evidence is available to support the use of particular pharmacologic interventions for AUDs during pregnancy or to guide the management of alcohol detoxification in pregnant women. The use of benzodiazepines (the mainstay of most alcohol detoxification protocols) in pregnant women is controversial. Nevertheless, despite the lack of robust data to guide management of AUDs in pregnancy, clinicians need to make management decisions when confronted with these challenging situations. In that context, this article reviews the epidemiology of AUDs in pregnancy and the pharmacologic management of both AUDs and alcohol withdrawal in pregnant women, with the goal of informing clinicians about what is known about managing these co-occurring conditions.