ALCOHOL AND RISK OF SPONTANEOUS-ABORTION

The objective of this study was to assess the association between alco hol drinking before and during pregnancy and the risk of spontaneous a bortion using data from a case-control study conducted in Milan, Italy . A total of 462 women (median age 30 years) were admitted for spontan eous abortion (within the 12th week of gestation) to a network of obst etrics departments in the greater Milan area. Of these, 148 (32%) were between the fourth and the eighth week of gestation and 314 (68%) bet ween the ninth and the 12th week. A control group was made up of 814 w omen (median age 29 years) who gave birth at term (> 37 weeks gestatio n) to healthy infants (Apgar 5th minute greater than or equal to 8, we ight greater than or equal to 3000 g) on randomly selected days at the same hospitals where cases had been identified. A total of 212 cases (46%) and 355 controls (47%) reported alcohol drinking before concepti on. Considering non-drinkers as the reference category, the relative r isks (RR) of spontaneous abortion were 1.2 [95% confidence interval (C I), 0.9-1.6] and 0.8 (95% CI, 0.6-1.1), respectively, in drinkers of o ne to seven and more than seven drinks per week before conception. No association emerged between the duration of alcohol drinking and the r isk of spontaneous abortion. A total of 166 cases (35.9%) and 263 (32. 3%) controls reported any alcohol drinking during the first trimester of pregnancy. The corresponding relative risk was 1.1 (95% CI, 0.9-1.4 ) and no relationship emerged between the number of drinks per week an d the risk of abortion. Likewise, maternal wine and beer drinking in t he first trimester of pregnancy was not associated with the risk of sp ontaneous abortion. Evidence available from this and previous studies, although partially controversial, indicates that moderate (one or two drinks per day) alcohol consumption does not increase markedly the ri sk of miscarriage.