Women trying for a baby and those in the first three
months of pregnancy should not drink any alcohol, updated UK guidelines say. 
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) had
previously said a couple of glasses of wine a week was acceptable.
It now says abstinence is the only way to be certain that the baby is
not harmed.
There is no proven safe amount that women can drink during pregnancy.
The updated advice now chimes with guidelines from the National
Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
In the US, experts say there is no safe time to drink during
pregnancy.
But the RCOG highlights around the time of conception and
the first three months of pregnancy as the most risky.
Alcohol
in pregnancy
Drinking alcohol may affect the unborn baby as some will
pass through the placenta.
Around conception and during the first three months, it may
increase the chance of miscarriage, says the RCOG.
After this time, women are advised to not drink more than
one to two units, more than once or twice a week, it says.
Drinking more than this could affect the development of the
baby, in particular the way the baby's brain develops and the way the baby
grows in the womb, which can lead to foetal growth restriction and increase the
risk of stillbirth and premature labour, says the advice.
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