Research reveals that incoherent guidelines for less alcohol consumption during pregnancy are puzzling pregnant women. The research also discloses that these guidelines are not having much impact on the consumption of alcohol by pregnant women.

The research was published in the Medical Journal of Australia. Statistician at the University of Newcastle, NSW, Ms. Jennifer Powers, along with her co-workers, evaluated the data gathered by the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health. The data was collected from pregnant women between the age groups of 22-33 years.

These women were pregnant prior to October 2001, when the instructions advised zero intake of alcohol or the women who were first pregnant after October 2001, when instructions advised low intake of alcohol.

The researchers discovered that taking alcohol before pregnancy was a major determining factor in the intake of alcohol throughout pregnancy. The study also found out that the instructions for consumption of alcohol had no effect on the women’s intake.

Ms. Powers disclosed that women who consumed any quantity of alcohol during pregnancy were expected to consume five times less alcohol or no alcohol, as compared to women who did not consume alcohol before their pregnancy.