Researcher Theresa W. Gauthier of Emory University and colleagues examined data from the Maternal Lifestyles and Development Study and concluded that neonatal infections were closely related to alcohol use during pregnancy, and even use during the three months prior to pregnancy. Women who had seven or more drinks per week during the second trimester, for instance, raised the risk of neonatal infection almost seven times. Binge drinking in the second or third trimester quadrupled the risk of infection.

"All women of childbearing age, including teenagers, must be counseled by health workers, educators, and family that drinking any amount of alcohol before or during the chance they may become pregnant is dangerous not only for themselves but for their developing baby," said Gauthier.

The research was published in the June 2005 issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

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