Study: A glass of wine in pregnancy OK

11.05.08 But health experts say it's better to be safe than sorry

Pregnant and bemoaning the fact that you can't have even a teeny-tiny drink of wine at a party? It's better to be safe than sorry, health experts said, but a recent study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology might offer a respite for some moms-to-be. University College London researchers found no link between light drinking while a woman is expecting—described as one glass of wine per week—and any behavioral or cognitive problems in children at the age of 3.

The UCL study discovered that boys born to mothers who drank lightly were 40 percent less likely to have conduct problems and 30 percent less likely to be hyperactive.

Researchers also said that these boys had higher vocabulary scores and could ID colors, shapes, letters and numbers more easily than those born to nondrinkers. Girls born to light drinkers were 30 percent less likely to have emotional symptoms and peer problems compared with those born to nondrinkers.

The chief health official in Britain urged against taking this study too much to heart though and avoid all alcohol during pregnancy, Fox News reports.

In addition, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that there is no known amount of alcohol that is safe to drink while pregnant. If you drink, your baby drinks, the CDC says.

So our advice: Use your best judgment and err on the side of caution if you have any doubts. Plus, you don't need alcohol to have a good time, as you can read in Drink and Be Merry for delicious nonalchoholic drink recipes. If you have more questions, we have more answers in our guide Should I Drink?

Maria Vega is Fit Pregnancy magazine's copy editor.