Older moms' prenatal alcohol use hurts growth.(Obstetrics)

SANTA BARBARA, CALIF. -- Children of older mothers who drank during pregnancy were shorter and had smaller head circumferences at ages 7 and 14 years than other children at those ages, it was reported at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism.

Children of mothers who were 30 or older at delivery were affected above a threshold of moderate alcohol consumption, defined as about one alcoholic drink a day at the time of conception.

Many women reduced their drinking during pregnancy, but the heaviest drinkers reduced their drinking less.

"Even if women reduce their drinking during pregnancy, their early drinking before they realize they are pregnant may have an impact on the infant," said Sandra W. Jacobson, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Wayne State University in Detroit, a senior author on the study.

"We see effects in infants whose mothers drink as little as one drink/day."

Dr. Jacobson stressed that "average" drinks per day did not reflect actual drinking patterns among women in the study. Just 1 woman of 480 in the Detroit Longitudinal Prenatal Alcohol Exposure study drank daily.

Many of the others concentrated their drinking on 1-2 days a week, in some cases drinking three to four drinks at each session, she explained following the meeting.