Western Australia, Australia, January 24: Overindulging in drinking can have dangerous repercussions on pregnancy, prolonging even much after it has been stopped.

This has been revealed by a latest study to be published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

The connection between prenatal exposure to alcohol and its consequences on foetal growth and preterm birth were looked into by the researchers at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research at the University of Western Australia and the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford.

For the research purposes, a sample of 4,719 randomly selected women was taken into account. These women gave birth in Australia between the time period from 1995 to 1997.

Researchers gathered data concerning how often the volunteers consumed alcohol. Also, it was seen as to how much alcohol intake was there each time along with the varieties of alcohol consumed.

It was observed that the consumption of alcohol went down from the pre-pregnancy period to the second and third trimester. However, there was not much difference in the results for women who consumed less alcohol during pregnancy and those who did not.

The researchers also found that the occurrence of preterm birth was the maximum in women who indulged in binge drinking. These figures stood at 9.5 percent.

Even if the mothers did not drink before the second trimester, preterm birth was reported in 13.6 percent women. These figures are too high as compared to less than 6 percent in women who did not consume alcohol at all during pregnancy.

The probability of preterm birth increases by 2.3 times in women who over consume alcohol during early pregnancy but then stop in later stages. Maternal health, maternal smoking, consumption of drugs and socio economic status, were the other factors taken into consideration.

Researchers have given a plausible reason for the incidence of preterm birth in women even after they stop drinking. They suggest that this happens because the discontinuance of drinking before the second trimester can spark off a metabolic or inflammatory reaction that can lead to preterm birth.

The relationship between alcohol intake and smoking was also noted by the researchers. It was discovered that the chances of refraining from drinking alcohol during pregnancy were less in women who smoked during this time.

“Our research shows pregnant women who drink more than one to two standard drinks per occasion and more than six standard drinks per week increase their risk of having a premature baby, even if they stop drinking before the second trimester. A standard drink in this analysis is 10gm of alcohol, said Colleen O’Leary, major contributor to the study.

He added, “Health professionals should routinely screen pregnant women and all women of child bearing age for alcohol use/misuse. It's important that women should be given information about the possible risks to the baby from alcohol exposure during pregnancy.”