Preconception alcohol consumption in both partners and risk of miscarriage

Abstract

Research question: Is preconception maternal or paternal alcohol intake associated with risk of miscarriage?

Design: Pregnancy Study Online (PRESTO) is an ongoing web-based prospective cohort study of couples trying to conceive. All primary data collection occurred via self-administered questionnaires. Baseline questionnaires in both partners collected data on sociodemographics, medical history, anthropometrics and lifestyle factors, including preconception alcohol consumption. Female participants reported data on pregnancy outcomes on follow-up questionnaires. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the association between preconception alcohol consumption in both partners and miscarriage rate.

Results: The study included 9414 female (mean age 30 years) and 2613 male (mean age 32 years) participants. About 27% of the female participants reported no preconception alcohol use, compared with 20% of males. Approximately 20% of pregnancies ended in miscarriage. After adjustment for demographic, lifestyle and reproductive variables, no appreciable association was observed between preconception alcohol intake and miscarriage. In the couples-based analysis of the association of miscarriage with preconception alcohol use, compared with female participants who reported no alcohol intake, the hazard ratios for those reporting 0.1-6.9, 7-13.9 and ≥14 drinks per week were 0.91 (95% CI 0.74-1.13), 1.06 (95% CI 0.77-1.46) and 0.80 (95% CI 0.43-1.52), respectively; for male the hazard ratios were 0.94 (95% CI 0.74-1.19), 0.93 (95% CI 0.70-1.25) and 0.84 (95% CI 0.59-1.19), respectively. Results were consistent across alcohol types (wine, liquor, beer) and within strata of age, history of miscarriage and gestational age.

Conclusions: Preconception alcohol use in either partner was not associated with higher miscarriage risk.

Keywords: Alcohol; Miscarriage; Preconception; Pregnancy; Spontaneous abortion.