PREVALENCE OF BINGE DRINKING AMONG CHILDBEARING-AGED WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES
- Approximately 10% of pregnant women (about 1 in 10) reported any alcohol use in the past 30 days.
- Approximately 2% of pregnant women (about 1 in 50) engaged in binge drinking or frequent use of alcohol in the past 30 days.*
- Among women who might become pregnant (they reported not using any type of birth control):
- 52.4% said that they wanted to become pregnant
- 54.9% reported alcohol use
- 12.4% reported binge drinking
- In the United States, almost 50% of pregnancies are unplanned, stressing the importance of educating all women of childbearing age about the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy.
- 52.4% said that they wanted to become pregnant
- 54.9% reported alcohol use
- 12.4% reported binge drinking
Alcohol Use Among Women Aged 18-44
- 12.2% of pregnant women (about 1 in 8) reported any alcohol use in the past 30 days. This rate has remained stable over the 15 year period.
- Pregnant women most likely to report any alcohol use were:
- 35-44 years of age (17.7%)
- College graduates (14.4%)
- Employed (13.7%)
- Unmarried (13.4%)
- 1.9% of pregnant women (about 1 in 50) reported binge drinking in the past 30 days.*
- Pregnant women who binge drank were more likely to be employed and unmarried as compared to pregnant women who did not binge drink.
- The prevalence of binge drinking among pregnant women did not substantially change over the 15 year period.
- Alcohol use levels prior to pregnancy are a strong predictor of alcohol use during pregnancy.
- Many women who drink alcohol continue to drink during the early weeks of pregnancy because they do not realize that they are pregnant.
- Only about 40% of women realize that they are pregnant at 4 weeks of gestation, a critical period for organ development.
* In these findings, binge drinking was defined as having five or more drinks at one time. More recently, the definition of binge drinking for women has been changed to four or more drinks at one time.