Alcohol Consumption Remains Common during Pregnancy

Despite public perception that small amounts of alcohol may be harmless during pregnancy, evidence has long supported complete abstinence (Figure 1). To estimate recent prevalence of drinking during pregnancy, CDC researchers used 2021–2024 survey data from ≈8500 pregnant women in the U.S. They asked respondents to report drinking habits within the past 30 days, including any current drinking (at least 1 drink), binge drinking (≥4 alcoholic drinks on 1 occasion), and heavy drinking (≥8 drinks in 1 week).