Alcohol exposure during pregnancy

Health Canada recommends that women who are pregnant or may become pregnant should not consume any alcohol, as no safe level of consumption during pregnancy has been established. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can lead to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Children born with FASD may have cognitive, behavioural, neurodevelopmental, physiological or physical impairments that last through the child’s lifetime.

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is known to incur risk to the unborn baby, and is considered socially undesirable. As a result, it is difficult to obtain accurate estimates of alcohol consumption in pregnant women due to potential unwillingness to disclose alcohol use during pregnancy.

Key findings:

• In Sudbury and districts, 2% of women reported exposure to alcohol during pregnancy in 2016.
• The proportion of women with any exposure to alcohol during pregnancy in Sudbury and districts has been similar to that in Ontario.
• Between 2013 and 2016, the proportion of women who were exposed to alcohol during pregnancy in Sudbury and districts has remained stable.

Notes:

• These results do not include data from residents of First Nations reserves.
• Data source: BORN Information System, Better Outcomes Registry Network. Extracted March, 2017.

Figure: Annual proportion of women who consumed alcohol during pregnancy, by geographic area, 2013 to 2016

Table: Annual proportion of women who consumed alcohol during pregnancy, by geographic area, 2013 to 2016

Table: Annual number of women who consumed alcohol during pregnancy, by geographic area, 2013 to 2016

This item was last modified on October 26, 2018