One in four women in Romania consumed alcohol during pregnancy—either regularly or occasionally—and 55% of respondents state that they did not discuss the risks associated with alcohol consumption with the doctor monitoring their pregnancy, according to a specialized survey released on Monday.

According to research conducted at the request of the employers' association Spirits Romania, 15% of the women surveyed state that their doctor gave them the go-ahead for occasional, small-quantity alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

Furthermore, 56% of female respondents state that they have heard—from mothers, relatives, or friends within their social circles—about women who consumed alcohol during pregnancy without the child being affected, according to those accounts.

Among women who reported consuming alcohol during pregnancy, 22% stated that their decision was influenced by the fact that their doctor did not explicitly forbid it, while 16% pointed to the experiences of friends or relatives who had consumed alcohol during pregnancy.

In contrast, among women who did not consume any alcohol during pregnancy, 82.56% stated that no one commented on their decision, 11.05% occasionally received suggestions that they were being too restrictive, and 6.40% frequently heard that they were being overly strict and that 'a little alcohol wouldn't hurt.'

The survey also examined the level of awareness regarding conditions associated with alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

According to the data presented, 56.38% of female respondents are aware that the fetus can suffer from a serious and incurable condition caused by maternal alcohol consumption, while 35.50% believe the risk depends on excessive consumption or the presence of other risk factors. Over 8% of women state that they have never heard of fetal conditions caused by alcohol consumption, and nearly 18% claim to personally know cases of children with such conditions.

At the same time, nearly one in five women surveyed believes that weak or diluted alcoholic beverages are less harmful to the fetus. According to the survey, over 10% of respondents still believe claims such as the idea that beer stimulates lactation or that red wine lowers blood pressure during pregnancy.

Three-quarters of the women participating in the study believe that the topic of alcohol consumption during pregnancy is insufficiently addressed in public debates.

The survey was conducted online by iVOX Research between July 16 and August 14, on a sample of 1,132 women in Romania aged 18 and older.

The research is part of the 'Pregnancy or Alcohol: You Choose!' campaign, conducted by Spirits Romania with the support of Spirits Europe. As part of the initiative, an information resource on alcohol consumption during pregnancy was also produced; it will be distributed online until the project concludes in November.

Spirits România is an employers' association bringing together producers and importers of spirits in Romania. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Nicoleta Banciulea; EN - writing by: Catalin Cristian Trandafir)