'Put alcohol unit warnings in pubs so pregnant women know their limits', say doctors

The signs would help to ease the confusion that currently exists about how much alcohol is contained in alcoholic drinks along with better labelling, according to the British Medical Association.

Vivienne Nathanson, the BMA's head of science and ethics, said: "Whenever you are buying alcohol, you should be able to readily see something that says for each measure how many units are in it.

"If you are at the bar drinking, there are various strengths of beers and also measurements of spirits have increased in the past few years.

"People may think that one glass of wine equals one unit, but the new measures are two units and the big glasses are three units.

"If you are out having a drink, it's quite difficult because pub measurements are getting larger.

"Better labelling will help people make the right choices.

"If you ask a pregnant woman how many units of alcohol they drink, they don't know and they don't know because alcohol is not labelled adequately."

"The alcoholic strengths of different beers and wines and the considerable variations of standard measures used in bars and restaurants and in the home can make it difficult for women to tell how many units they are consuming."

During a press conference at BMA House in central London, the group also warned that women should not drink ANY alcohol during pregnancy, echoing new Government guidelines issued last week.

Dr Nathanson said: "If you want the best for your unborn baby, the less you drink the better and the least you can drink is nothing.

"It's important that women who drank alcohol before realising that they were pregnant do not panic.

"But pregnant women should try to reduce their alcohol intake, or better still give up completely."

Dr Nathanson admitted that there was no concrete evidence that drinking small amounts harmed the foetus, but said it was not worth taking the risk.

A new report, called "Foetal alcohol spectrum disorders", said that 100 babies born every year in the UK have serious defects from alcohol abuse during pregnancy.

But the number of babies born with less serious abnormalities which later in life manifest into problems such as learning difficulties could be 100 times that figure.

Sir Charles George, chair of the BMA's board of science, said: "The serious cases with physical abnormalities are going to be easy to diagnose.

"It's the other problems, the learning disabilities, where alcohol could be one of the causes, that are harder to identify.

"There is a lack of awareness both in parts of the profession and the public about this problem."

Sir Charles said that illnesses such as ADHD and autism could be the result of drinking during pregnancy.

Dr Nathanson added: "Early intervention is crucial in decreasing the risk of additional problems commonly found in individuals affected by these disorders.

"These include mental health problems, disrupted school experience, alcohol and drug addictions.

"The lack of awareness and research in the UK on this subject, together with the complexity of the syndrome itself, is leading to delays in diagnosis and referral."