Heavy Drinking Linked to Higher Risk of Unintended Pregnancy: Study Finds - Video

A new study published in the journal Addiction has found that non-pregnant women with a strong desire to avoid pregnancy are significantly more likely to experience an unintended pregnancy if they drink heavily. According to the research, heavy drinkers in this group had a 50% higher risk of becoming pregnant within a year compared to those who drank moderately or not at all. In contrast, cannabis use did not appear to increase the likelihood of unintended pregnancy.

Conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, the study focused on a subgroup of 936 non-pregnant women aged 15 to 34, all of whom expressed a strong desire to avoid pregnancy.

Researchers found that among the 936 women, 429 reported heavy drinking, based on a standardized alcohol screening questionnaire, and 362 reported cannabis use, including 157 who used cannabis daily or almost daily. Interestingly, both heavy drinkers and frequent cannabis users reported a stronger desire to avoid pregnancy compared to their peers.

Over the 12-month study period, 71 women in the high-avoidance group became pregnant. Of those, more than half (38) had been heavy drinkers. This was more than the combined number of unintended pregnancies among moderate or non-drinkers. In contrast, only 28 pregnancies occurred among cannabis users, indicating that cannabis use did not elevate the risk of undesired pregnancy.

Lead author Dr. Sarah Raifman noted, "In the meantime, given the potentially life-altering effects of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (which occur when a fetus is exposed to alcohol through the mother's drinking) and the fact that the risk of FASD increases with the amount and duration of the mother's drinking, it's important for doctors and clinicians to support women who drink heavily to stop drinking as soon as they suspect an unintentional pregnancy."

The study underscores the need for better reproductive health counseling and support for women who drink heavily, especially those who strongly wish to avoid pregnancy.