WEDNESDAY, Dec. 21, 2022 (HealthDay News) — When dads-to-be drink alcohol, it can affect the health of their unborn children, a new study suggests.
The researchers found that men who drank alcohol heavily during the three months before conception and during the pregnancy were more likely to have children with a specific type of birth defect called gastroschisis.
Gastroschisis is a birth defect that occurs when a baby’s intestines stick out of a hole in the abdomen. It can cause serious health problems, including infection, bowel obstruction, and even death.
The study, published Dec. 21 in the journal JAMA Network Open, included data on more than 1.5 million births in the United States. The researchers found that about 1 in every 3,000 babies was born with gastroschisis.
Of the fathers in the study, about 15% reported drinking alcohol heavily during the three months before conception and during the pregnancy. These men were about twice as likely to have children with gastroschisis as men who did not drink alcohol heavily.
The researchers also found that the risk of gastroschisis was higher among fathers who drank alcohol heavily only during the three months before conception. These men were about 50% more likely to have children with gastroschisis than men who did not drink alcohol heavily.
.
