In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was criticized for making a strong recommendation about alcohol and the possibility of pregnancy: women who were not on birth control should abstain from alcohol to avoid the risk of giving birth to babies with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, the agency said. The agency was lambasted for asking for a self-imposed constraint on such a large demographic: the number of American women not on birth control is enormous, and asking all of them to become teetotalers is a huge and invasive ask.
The study concluded there could be an association between drinking three months before pregnancy and potential adverse health and developmental problems in a newborn child.
