Alcohol consumption by pregnant women in Poland

Introduction: Alcohol consumption during pregnancy has a negative impact on the developing foetus from the earliest stages of its development. It increases the risk of miscarriage, intrauterine death and congenital abnormalities. It contributes to the development of mental retardation and may also lead to physical, cognitive and behavioural abnormalities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency and amount of alcohol consumed by women in Poland during the preimplantation and pregnancy periods.


Material and methods: Analyses of pregnant women in Poland were based on surveys within the framework of Polish Pregnancy-related Assessment Monitoring System. The research was conducted on one specific day in 2010, 2011 and 2012 in all the hospitals in Poland where women were staying following childbirth, and was in the nature of a population study.


Results: Among the surveyed women, 54.7% declared that they consumed alcohol during pregnancy, while 45.3% declared abstinence. More than 35% of the women consuming alcohol during pregnancy consumed it once a month or less frequently. Almost 6% of them consumed alcohol at least 2 times a month during pregnancy. More than 60% of the women who consumed alcohol during pregnancy consumed less than one standard unit of alcohol on one occasion. Almost 20% consumed at least one standard unit of alcohol on one occasion.


Conclusions: The percentage of women who consume alcohol during the preimplantation period is over 90%. Also more than half of women consume alcohol during pregnancy. These behaviours pose a substantial risk to the embryo, especially at its earliest stage of development.