A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics says that pregnant women should take no alcohol during any trimester of pregnancy, Fox News reports.
The report says that all forms of alcohol, such as beer, wine and liquor, pose an equal amount of risk to the developing fetus.
The report was published online in the journal Pediatrics. The report was titled "Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders".
The report noted that women who binge drink when they are not pregnant are more likely to consume alcohol during pregnancy.
Earlier studies suggest that a small percentage of mothers continue to consume alcohol and an even smaller percentage of women binge drink.
Dr. Janet F. Williams, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and one of the report's lead authors, said that one of the reasons for releasing this report was to counter recent research that suggests that lower levels of alcohol are safe during pregnancy.
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) are quite common. However, doctors may not always diagnose them in children who have them, Williams told Live Science.
She said that when a child exhibits a developmental delay, learning problems and behavioral difficulties, it's possible that FASD is the reason behind the problem.
The report also said that alcohol-related birth defects and developmental disabilities are "completely preventable when pregnant women abstain from alcohol use," npr.org reports.
Williams said that more than 30 years of research clearly shows a connection between the intake of alcohol during pregnancy and birth defects. Several recent studies have also have also revealed the subtle effects of prenatal alcohol exposure.
