§ Lord Reaasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there is any evidence of the effects of maternal alcohol consumption in pregnancy on 10WA children not exhibiting the diagnostic features of foetal alcohol syndrome. [HL2336]
§ Lord WarnerResearch indicates that excessive drinking during pregnancy may affect the brain of the developing foetus. The Government therefore recommend that women who are pregnant or who are trying to get pregnant should not drink more than one to two units of alcohol per week.
However, any effect that excessive drinking in pregnancy may have on the later development of the child is less clear. It is difficult to assess the relative impact of excessive maternal drinking and other factors such as maternal socio-economic status, maternal age at the birth and maternal nutrition during pregnancy.