Some research suggests that small amounts of alcohol may be harmless during pregnancy, according to CBS News.
However, a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics advises that no amount of alcohol is safe to drink during any trimester of pregnancy, according to The Huffington Post.
All forms of alcohol, including beer, wine and liquor, reportedly pose a similar risk to the developing fetus, according to the report.
“The research suggests that the smartest choice for women who are pregnant is to just abstain from alcohol completely," Dr. Janet Williams, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas Health Science Center and co-author of the new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), said in a statement.
The authors reportedly noted that prenatal exposure to alcohol is the leading preventable cause of birth defects and intellectual and neurodevelopmental disabilities in children.
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are reportedly conditions that are lifelong and can include problems with the brain, heart, bones and spine, kidneys, vision and hearing. These conditions can also reportedly cause behavioral and learning problems in a child.
“What we are finding now is that even small amounts of alcohol can increase the risk of fetal alcohol syndrome," Dr. Jennifer Wu, an OB-GYN at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York who was not involved in the report, told CBS News.
“A baby's brain and central nervous system is exquisitely vulnerable to what we call teratogens -- things that can cause damage -- and alcohol is one of them."
If a pregnancy is unplanned, it’s best for the mother to stop drinking as soon as she knows she is pregnant, according to Williams.
"No alcohol use during pregnancy guarantees that fetal alcohol spectrum disorders will not occur," Williams said.