Alcohol

Alcohol consumption prior to the pregnancy
Alcohol influences your ability to become pregnant.

If you drink 1 – 5 units a week before ovulation you reduce fertility by 1/3 compared to women who do not drink alcohol.   

Several doctors actually think that alcohol even in limited quantities is more harmful to the pregnancy than drugs such as heroin and morphine.   

If alcohol is consumed during the time of conception it may lead to miscarriages and stillborn babies. The intake of alcohol in the period from the third to the eight-week after conception, where the internal organs are created, is the period where many pregnant women do not know they are pregnant and it may cause cellular death and cellular movement and thereby causing deformities. 

Even small amounts are harmful
Even brief high concentrations of alcohol in the blood of the foetus can cause damages. 

It cannot be excluded that an alcohol consumption of 4-5 units a week or more can increase the risk of a miscarriage in the first trimester, stillborn, cleft pallet, premature birth, growth inhibition, ADHD and allergic conditions. 

Intensified recommendation
The National Board of Health has therefore from a compiled assessment chosen to intensify the recommendation concerning alcohol and pregnancy both when it comes to the pregnant woman and women who are planning to become pregnant.