MotherToBaby: Fact Sheet - 2025

This fact sheet summarizes research on alcohol exposure during pregnancy and breastfeeding, including potential effects on fertility, miscarriage, fetal development, birth outcomes, and childhood learning and behavior. Alcohol use during pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, and daily or binge drinking is associated with greater risk, although individual outcomes vary. Because no amount of alcohol has been established as safe during pregnancy, avoiding alcohol—including beverages labeled “no-alcohol” or “low-alcohol”—is recommended. No prenatal test can diagnose fetal alcohol spectrum disorders or predict future learning and behavioral effects, but ultrasounds may identify certain birth defects or growth concerns. Alcohol enters breast milk, and only time reduces its concentration; developmental effects from exposure through breast milk remain insufficiently studied. Readers are encouraged to discuss alcohol use with a healthcare provider and seek assistance if they need help stopping.