Drinking in early pregnancy tied to cleft lip

Women who binge drink in the first three months of pregnancy have an increased risk of having infants with cleft lip and cleft palate, according to findings in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

"Some evidence exists that women who drink alcohol during pregnancy are more likely than nondrinkers to have infants with facial clefts," Dr. Lisa A. DeRoo and colleagues write, "but summarizing previous findings is hampered by different categories of drinks and time points of reference across studies."

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Substance abuse care in pregnancy helps mom, baby

Infants born to women with substance abuse problems will fare better if their mothers undergo treatment for these problems early in pregnancy, according to the largest study to date to investigate this issue.

In fact, they did just as well as babies born to mothers who didn't have issues with drug or alcohol use on nearly all of the measures the researchers looked at, Dr. Nancy C. Goler of The Permanente Medical Group in Vallejo, California, and her colleagues found.

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One-third of pregnant women drink alcohol

Up to a third of Australian women continue to drink alcohol during pregnancy, despite growing awareness that it puts the unborn child at risk.

And contrary to expectations, higher levels of education make the mother-to-be more likely to imbibe, Australian medical researchers say.

The findings are based on a national survey of 1103 women of child-bearing age in 2006 and undermine health educators' hopes that the message not to drink when pregnant has resonated with expectant mothers.

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