Loading...
Two recent randomized studies assessed the value of alcohol counseling among women who were pregnant or at risk for becoming pregnant.
In the first study, researchers randomized 345 pregnant women who drank to receive either an alcohol assessment and advice to stop drinking, or the assessment, advice, and a 10- to 15-minute scripted counseling session delivered by a nutritionist at monthly prenatal visits. Women who received counseling were significantly more likely to report abstinence than the others (odds ratio, 5.4). The fetal mortality rate was lower in the counseling group than in the assessment-only group (0.9% vs. 2.9%).
In the second study, researchers enrolled 830 women of childbearing potential who were not pregnant and not plannin…