THE ASSOCIATION OF MODERATE MATERNAL AND PATERNAL ALCOHOL-CONSUMPTIONWITH BIRTH-WEIGHT AND GESTATIONAL-AGE

Heavy maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy has been associate d with fetal growth retardation, but whether more moderate consumption also is associated remains a controversial issue. We examined moderat e consumption in 1233 women with singleton livebirths, by calculating a weighted average of weekly consumption in the first 20 weeks from qu estions that asked about alcohol consumption before pregnancy, as well as any changes during the first half of pregnancy. The adjusted odds ratio for (''moderate'') consumption of three or more drinks per week for low birthweight was 2.6 [95% confidence limits (CL) = 1.2, 5.7], a nd that for intrauterine growth retardation was 2.3 (95% CL = 1.2, 4.6 ). Examining the joint effect of smoking with alcohol consumption reve aled associations that differed by outcome; we found a synergistic eff ect for low birthweight, but not for intrauterine growth retardation. Moderate alcohol consumers had an average birthweight decrement of 143 gm, which varied by smoking. There was little association of alcohol consumption with preterm delivery (<37 weeks). Paternal alcohol consum ption was not associated with any of the fetal growth measures after a djustment for other variables.