During pregnancy, alcohol can pass from mother to baby. A woman who drinks alcohol during pregnancy can cause lifelong intellectual, behavioral, and physical harm to her baby. This includes:

• Problems with behavior, poor school performance, poor impulse control, and difficulties with math, memory, attention, judgment, communication, and getting along with others.
• Abnormal facial features and growth, and defects in the development of the heart, kidneys, or bones.
• Problems with the central nervous system, and with vision or hearing.

These conditions are called fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs), and can persist throughout the child’s life.

• A woman who is pregnant or might be pregnant should not drink alcohol.
• Most women do not know they are pregnant during the first four to six weeks of pregnancy, so a baby might be exposed to alcohol without the mother knowing it. A woman should not drink alcohol if there is any chance she might be pregnant.
• The baby’s brain growth takes place throughout pregnancy, so a woman who continues to drink while pregnant may cause further harm to her baby.

• No. There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink during pregnancy.
• All types of alcoholic beverages are harmful to the baby, including wine and beer.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) advises each woman of reproductive age to:

• Talk with her health care provider about her possible plans for pregnancy, her alcohol use, and ways to prevent pregnancy if she is not planning to become pregnant.
• Stop drinking alcohol if she is trying to become pregnant, or could become pregnant.
• Ask her partner, family members, and friends to support her decision not to drink alcohol during pregnancy, or while trying to become pregnant.
• Ask her health care provider or another trusted person about resources for help if she cannot stop drinking alcohol on her own.

General Fact Sheets and Resources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • About Alcohol Use and Pregnancy
  • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs)
• American Academy of Pediatrics
  • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: FAQs of Parents & Families
• California Department of Public Health
  Substance and Addiction Prevention Branch
  • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs)
• California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA)
  Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA)
  • Alcohol and Cancer

Proposition 65

• California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA)
  Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA)
  • Proposition 65: Background
  • Proposition 65: The List of Chemicals
  • Proposition 65: Fact Sheets