A study of more than 400 Australian women has found that alcohol consumption at or around the time of conception can damage the growth of the placenta, potentially harming a baby’s development.
The study by a Mater Research team based at Brisbane’s Translational Research Institute (TRI) confirms earlier research in preclinical models and reinforces national guidelines that alcohol consumption, even just prior to conception, can impact placenta development.
Mater Research’s Dr Sarah Steane says the recently published study is one of the first to analyse doppler ultrasound measurements of placental function in relation to alcohol consumption.
In the group of women that reported consuming alcohol, our key finding is that there were some alterations in doppler ultrasound measurements. These measurements indicated that the placenta may not be performing as it should in delivering oxygen to the baby.”
Dr Sarah Steane, Postdoctoral research scientist, University of Queensland Mater Research Institute
Of the women in the study who had consumed alcohol around the time of conception, 1 in 6 had ultrasound placenta measurements suggestive of deficient placenta function. This is compared to 1 in 45 women who had not consumed alcohol. This suggests that women who drink alcohol around the time of conception are 9 times more likely to have affected placenta development compared to those who don’t consume alcohol.