The Prevalence and Changes in Alcohol Consumption across Three Trimesters of Pregnancy Assessed by Ethyl Glucuronide Concentration in Maternal Hair and Self-Reports: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: The teratogenic effect of alcohol is well known, but its prevalence is usually underestimated. This study presents the findings of a cross-sectional study conducted in Poland, which aimed to assess the prevalence and changes in alcohol consumption during pregnancy. The study utilized ethyl glucuronide (EtG) concentration in maternal hair and self-reports as measures to evaluate alcohol intake across the three trimesters of pregnancy. Methods: The study involved postpartum women (n = 150) and their babies. Hair samples from 135 participants allowed segmental analysis (separately for the three trimesters), and hair from 15 were analysed for the entire 9 months by gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Survey data included self-reports of health-related behaviours and socio-demographic characteristics; medical records – information on the course of a pregnancy and newborn's health. Results: Standard medical interview revealed no cases of alcohol use during pregnancy. The analysis of EtG indicated 50.3% of women had been drinking alcohol at any time during pregnancy, including 10% with excessive alcohol consumption. Most participants maintained the same level of alcohol consumption throughout the pregnancy, but 8.7% of women decreased and 20.7% increased the amount of alcohol consumed between the 1st and 2nd or 2nd and 3rd trimesters. Gestational consumption of alcohol was not related to socio-demographic characteristics, course of pregnancy, and self-reported health behaviours, but babies of women who drank alcohol during pregnancy were more often small for gestation age than babies of abstainers (odds ratio [OR] = 6.008), with the highest risk observed in case of increased alcohol consumption (OR = 12.348). Conclusions: Maternal hair analysis is useful in detecting pregnancy alcohol use and allows retrospective analysis over a longer period than other biological samples, providing a more comprehensive pattern of use throughout pregnancy. However, there is a need to improve routine methods of interviewing patients about alcohol use and to implement effective preventive strategies regarding alcohol consumption during pregnancy in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]