Pregnancy and births: avoidable risk factors during pregnancy
 

Smoking

It is widely accepted that smoking during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of a variety of problems, including miscarriage, stillbirth, a preterm and/or low birthweight baby, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Data on smoking during pregnancy in Scotland are available:

• under Tobacco use on this website
• under Pregnancy information on the ISD Scotland website.

Alcohol and Drugs

High alcohol consumption is not recommended during pregnancy. It is associated with miscarriage and can lead to the development of fetal alcohol syndrome. This syndrome comprises three types of abnormality: growth retardation, characteristic facial features, and central nervous system anomalies (including intellectual impairment). Although this syndrome is rare, there is anxiety that more subtle forms of fetal damage may be much more common.

The ISD Substance Misuse team collate statistics relating to maternal drug use.