Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy Among Women in the US Aged 18–49 Years

"The estimated prevalence of current drinking among pregnant women during 2021–2024 (15.2%) appears to be higher than it was during 2018–2020 (13.5%) (3), suggesting an ongoing need for clinical and community-level interventions.

"Regional differences in current drinking during pregnancy observed in this analysis are generally consistent with patterns of current drinking observed among the general U.S. population. Geographic differences highlight the importance of tailoring public health interventions to account for local context and cultural norms when addressing alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Community-level approaches that focus on pregnant women, such as point-of-sale signs with information about adverse outcomes known to be associated with alcohol consumption during pregnancy (4) or that focus on the general population, such as sales taxes on alcoholic beverages (5), might help reduce prenatal alcohol exposure and its associated adverse health outcomes.

"Pregnant women who were not married or who reported experiencing frequent mental distress had approximately two to three times the prevalence of current drinking, binge drinking, and heavy drinking compared with those who were married or did not experience frequent distress, consistent with findings from a previous study of current drinking and binge drinking during pregnancy (3). Studies suggest alcohol consumption might be used as a coping method to relieve stress and manage negative feelings, although alcohol consumption might alter or exacerbate stress pathways (6). Marital and other cohabitation statuses have been associated with reduced substance use, which might be explained in part by social support, although relationship quality and other factors might influence this association (7)."