Maternal Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy Increases Risk for
Cryptorchidism CME/CE
News Author: Laurie Barclay, MD
CME Author: Désirée Lie, MD, MSE
February 8, 2007 Women who consumed alcohol regularly during pregnancy
increased the risk for congenital cryptorchidism (undescended testis) in
newborn boys, according to the results of a Danish-Finnish study reported in
the February issue of Environmental Health Perspective.
"Prenatal exposure to alcohol can adversely affect the fetus," write Ida N.
Damgaard, PhD, of Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues.
"Several studies indicate an increase in the prevalence of cryptorchidism
within a few generations, supporting the hypothesis that lifestyle changes
and environmental factors may be involved.... We assessed the relationship
between maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and congenital
cryptorchidism in a prospective, population-based cohort of pregnant women
and their male offspring."
Investigators in this prospective Danish-Finnish birth cohort study
evaluated 2496 boys for cryptorchidism at birth (cryptorchid/healthy,
128/2368) and at 3 months of age (33/2215). Questionnaire and/or interview
was conducted once during the third trimester of pregnancy and before the
outcome of the pregnancy was known, and it determined quantitative data on
alcohol consumption (average weekly consumption of wine, beer, and spirits
and number of binge episodes), smoking, and caffeine intake. A subgroup (n =
465) was interviewed twice during pregnancy regarding alcohol consumption.
Maternal alcohol consumption was analyzed both as a continuous variable and
categorized, revealing that the odds for cryptorchidism increased with
increasing weekly alcohol consumption. After adjusting for potential
confounders, including country, smoking, caffeine intake, binge episodes,
social class, maternal age, parity, maturity, and birth weight, the odds
remained significant for women who drank 5 or more alcoholic drinks weekly
(odds ratio [OR], 3.10; 95% confidence interval, 1.05 - 9.10).
Study limitations include prevalence of drinking in this cohort not
necessarily representative of the entire Danish and Finnish population,
possible information bias introduced by the structure of the questionnaire
and the interview, possible misclassification of alcohol intake, failure to
systematically obtain information about changes in alcohol consumption
during pregnancy for all participants, and inclusion of twins in the
analyses.
"Regular alcohol intake during pregnancy appears to increase the risk of
congenital cryptorchidism in boys," the authors write. "The mechanisms for
this association are unknown. Counseling of pregnant women with regard to
alcohol consumption should also consider this new finding."
The University of Copenhagen, the Danish Medical Research Council, Svend
Andersens Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Academy of Finland,
Sigrid Jusélius Foundation, Turku University Central Hospital, and the
European Commission supported this study. The authors have disclosed no
relevant financial relationship.
Environ Health Perspect. 2007;115:272-277.
Leanne Wynne
Midwife in charge of "Women's Business"
Mildura Aboriginal Health Service Mob 0418 371862
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