Autism link to drinking while pregnant...

[No1ErmaBombeckfan]

here

I hope this will have the same effect on drinking as it does on MMR immunization...

what, that everyone panics and blames themselves?

oh fab yes that will be great

I thought there was evidence published recently that said that MMR had nothing to do with autism.....

It doesn't say how many children he looked at, for starters. The conclusion is that there 'may' be a link, based on this small group.

But hey, I drank more than the recommended limit in pregnancy and gave both my children MMR.

oh here we go again.

What do you actually mean no1Erma? by saying you hope the report will have the same effect on drinking as it does the MMR? what effect, exactly? be precise.

SO they studied children who already had problems (foetal alcohol sydrome is the result of heavy drinking when pregnant), and found some of them were autistic as well?

Am I reading it wrong? Cos how does that show that drinking any amount of alcohol (however small) is linked to autism?

Nothing to do with fact dr is already against any drinking in pregnancy.

actually on second thoughts don't bother.

I read that article. Can you point to anything that actually mentions any statistics? Because I read it about five times and I completely failed to do so.

This is the only direct quote I could find from Mr would-like-to-ban-all-alcohol Mukherjee: ?Genetic conditions are by far the most common cause of autism but that is not to say that other things cannot cause it, and prenatal alcohol appears, possibly, to be [a cause]."

So that's a subjuctive and a possible link and fuck all stats to back up his claim.

Given that genetic pre-disposition appears to be the main cause, I suggest we prevent all parents of autistic children from reproducing again and sterilise all their children - that will be a much more reliable way of ridding our society of autism ...

re read it and these children had unspecified problems caused by their mothers' drinking and then some had autism as well.

Doesn't specify how much the mothers were drinking but I bet it wasn't half a glass of champagne once during the last trimester

it's just another way to make parents of children with special needs feel bad

I just refuse, sorry. I'm bored of it

I agree .

I think no woman of childbearing age should drink, really. Or eat anything remotely interesting. Or indeed do a job where it would inconvenience her employers should she at some point get up the duff.

washing up is also bad

and standing up

And Negative Thoughts.

What I would like is some government-funded research that showed that the only reliable way for women to have NT children is to lie on the sofa eating chocolates and watching their trashy telly of choice. I would even contribute to the funding

watching Jeremy Kyle is ok though.

indeed any kind of mental activity at all will compromise the delicate structure of the foetal brain

I'm not convinced women can be trusted to have babies. Perhaps we should leave it to male medical professionals.

Well yes, we are only Ladies, after all.

i object strongly to sexual feelings during pregnancy too. disgusting perverts the lot of you.

and while you're at it i hope you know you're all going to hell in a handcart for using your PCs whilst pregnant.

none of you deserve children tbh.

oh yes you are so right

Ok, why are you all so angry? It's raised as a possibility. It may well be one of the causes. It's worth investigating. Any possible cause is worth investigating. I don't understand why you are instantly hostile.

If anyone dares ask whether a sniff of alcohol passed my lips when I was pregnant with my gorgeous (and autistic) son, then I shall take great delight in bopping them on the nose. As Cappuccino states, this is just another excuse for these twits to make mothers of children with secial needs feel crap.

Because it doesn't look like much of a study, tbh, it is a hypothesis based on an unstated small group of children who already have problems that are associated with alcohol - and whose other problems are being linked to that alcohol.

And yes, also because pregnant women - or indeed women of childbearing age - are already hectored like gawd-knows-what about how to conduct themselves and What Not To Do.

erm. possibly because making women feel that they have caused their children to have autism by having imbibed alcohol during pregnancy is not a claim to be made without enormous research back up, which there isn't, at which point it becomes just another stick to beat women with.

all with the underlying assumption that women (who don't know their limits evidently) can't tell the difference between moderate drinking and six pints of vodka and redbull a night.

also, i often ask myself why it is that, for example, polluting car drivers aren't villified for their effects on unborn foetuses of which there are undoubtedly many. that would shift the focus away from the fucking (sorry but this is really winding me up) holy vessel that is the pregnant woman.

hecate - I'm angry because it's hysterical journalism. There is no proven link - even the bloke doing the research couldn't actually provide any statistics (and trust me, he would have done if he could). Telling women that drinking during pregnancy may cause autism won't stop the heavy drinkers because there's so much evidence as it is that heavy drinking will damage your unborn child but that doesn't stop some people. What it will do though is mean that women who have the occasional drink and then go on to have an autistic child feel guilty. And IMO that is appalling.

I'm also sick of women being guilt-tripped throughout their pregnancy and that it is now so medicalised.