Because nothing happens, because you have to toast, because it's just a drink ... There may be many "reasons" for a pregnant woman to drink alcohol during pregnancy but they will undoubtedly be justifications as false as "because it does not harm the baby." Disregarding the recommendations that health organizations and the scientific field make in this regard, many women in the world drink alcohol during pregnancy.
A new study wanted to draw the world map of countries where more women drink alcohol during pregnancy. A sad map that we show below and that realizes that there is a long way to go to make this habit, dangerous for the mother and the baby, is banished. Let's see, in which countries do you drink more alcohol during pregnancy?
Countries where more women drink alcohol during pregnancy
Although few places are saved from this habit, the top five countries stand out on the map:
According to the data obtained in this investigation, Ireland has the highest rate in the world for women who drink alcohol during pregnancy, although in this country public health campaigns repeatedly warn of the risk to the baby. Specifically, 60.4% of Irish women continue to drink when they are waiting for a baby, which is equivalent to six times the world average of one in ten.
It is followed by Belarus, where 46.6% of women admitted to drinking.
Denmark ranks third, with 45.8% of pregnant women choosing to drink alcohol.
The United Kingdom has the fourth worst position with 41.3%.
Fifth was Russia, where 36.5% of pregnant women consume alcohol.
The study, conducted by the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Canada, examined research from 50 countries. It was found that one in 67 women who consumed alcohol during pregnancy gave birth to a child with fetal alcohol syndrome, which is equivalent to about 119,000 children born with this syndrome annually worldwide. In fact, this syndrome is the second cause of mental retardation in babies.
But fetal alcohol syndrome is only part of the problem, since there are many types of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. The risk is high because the liver is one of the last organs to fully develop in a fetus, which means that it is not able to process alcohol efficiently.
And since the minimum amount of alcohol that is safe during pregnancy is not known, or from what moment it is harmful, it is better to end the permissiveness and not risk it. Despite this, experts say that the number of women who drink alcohol during pregnancy, including those who get drunk on occasion, is increasing in the world.
In short, as we can see from all these data, it is still necessary to warn that if you are pregnant you should not drink alcohol and make this warning reach the whole society, because many times it is the environment that "immerses" the woman in a "for a drink nothing happens" or "must be provided" ...
