STAT+: 1 in 8 women drink during pregnancy. Experts dread the consequences

STAT PlusThe Deadliest Drug 1 in 8 women drink during pregnancy. Experts dread the consequences Largely considered a problem of the past, prenatal alcohol exposure is still a leading driver of disability in the U.S. By Isabella CuetoMay 19, 2026 Isabella Cueto[email protected]Isabella is a chronic disease reporter writing about how the Trump administration is tackling the nation’s health epidemic — or not.

You can reach her on Signal at isabellacueto.03. Manage alerts for this article Email this article Share this article The idea of drinking during pregnancy sounds like a generational punchline: Someone’s grandmother drank beer to fatten her fetus, another had a nightly martini to get a healthy amount of sleep — presumably unthinkable behavior in today’s America. Yet after precipitous declines in the last 50 years, rates of alcohol use in pregnancy in the U.S.

started climbing upward a decade ago. More than 1 in 8 pregnant adults reported drinking in the past month, according to STAT’s analysis of 2024 government data, making alcohol use a more common national phenomenon than gestational diabetes. Of those who drank, a quarter reported having four or more drinks in one sitting — binge drinking — in the prior month.

Advertisement While rates of alcohol use in pregnancy are lower in the U.S. than those of several peer nations, the effects are all around Americans. Alcohol is the key driver of what are, by some estimates, the nation’s top neurodevelopmental conditions: fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, or FASDs.

The exact prevalence of FASDs is difficult to measure, but the most recent federally funded community studies have found as many as 1 in 20 school-aged children may have a disorder caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. By comparison, about 1 in 31 American children has autism, per recent estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Not all fetuses exposed to alcohol have birth defects or go on to develop intellectual disabilities, researchers say.

But every person born with an FASD was harmed by alcohol specifically. They worry this point is being glossed over as Americans question the conventional medical advice of avoiding all alcohol while pregnant. STAT+ Exclusive Story Already have an account?

Log in This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers Unlock this article — plus in-depth analysis, newsletters, premium events, and news alerts. Already have an account? Log in Monthly $39 Totals $468 per year $39/month Get Started Totals $468 per year Starter $30 for 3 months, then $399/year $30 for 3 months Get Started Then $399/year Annual $399 Save 15% $399/year Get Started Save 15% 11+ Users Custom Savings start at 25%!

Request A Quote Request A Quote Savings start at 25%! 2-10 Users $300 Annually per user $300/year Get Started $300 Annually per user View All Plans To read the rest of this story subscribe to STAT+. Subscribe Log In addiction, disabilities, HHS, public health, reproductive health, STAT+ Submit a correction requestReprints Isabella Cueto Chronic Disease Reporter Isabella is a chronic disease reporter writing about how the Trump administration is tackling the nation’s health epidemic — or not.

You can reach her on Signal at isabellacueto.03. Recommended STATus Report May 15, 2026 Why isn’t alcohol seen as a public health emergency? The Deadliest Drug May 14, 2026 STAT investigates the epidemic killing 178,000 Americans a year Advertisement The Deadliest Drug May 14, 2026 STAT Plus: Treatment for alcohol addiction is undergoing a seismic shift.

Many say it’s overdue The Deadliest Drug May 13, 2026 STAT Plus: A new kind of liver crisis is emerging in the U.S. The American diet is to blame The Deadliest Drug May 12, 2026 STAT Plus: Despite its toll, alcohol is still an awkward subject in the doctor’s office Subscriber Picks