Our methodology also identified two groups of women who abstained from drinking alcohol in pregnancy (not including lifetime abstainers), those who drank alcohol in the three months prior to pregnancy and those who did not. While we combined the two groups for our analyses, it is likely that the exposure pattern of alcohol consumption in the three months prior to, but not during pregnancy, includes some women who inadvertently drank before pregnancy recognition and have self-reported incorrectly. On this basis we believe the best ‘control’ group in future examinations of child outcomes comprises women who reported no drinking in the three months before pregnancy. Further, detailed information on pregnancy alcohol consumption patterns, such as presented in this paper, should contribute to better confidence in prediction of outcomes after low to moderate PAE. Along with comprehensive reporting of alcohol consumption in each of the three pregnancy questionnaires, women provided information on drinking history and demographics, characteristics that are potentially associated with various exposure categories. Together, these may help target health promotion messages to those at greatest risk.
