AROUND EIGHTY PER cent of the Irish population drink alcohol, and its thought those rates don’t really drop among pregnant women.

Speaking last week at the Irish Medical Organisation’s AGM, Dr Mary O’Mahony noted that, according to a study by Cork University Maternity Hospital, 82 per cent of women “drank alcohol during their first pregnancy.”

In an effort to reduce the incidents of foetal alcohol spectrum disorders in Ireland, the IMO voted at the AGM in favour of introducing alcohol testing for pregnant women.

It’s hoped that the tests could help doctors intervene in cases where women are drinking during their pregnancy.

“Women are getting mixed messages about drinking during pregnancy,” Dr Ann Hogan, former president of the IMO  said. ”So what we want to do is do a test that will prove if they were drinking in the last few days or not.”

The symptoms of foetal alcohol syndrome include facial deformities, abnormal or challenging behaviour a low IQ.

However each person’s body processes alcohol differently depending on their genes, so the same level of alcohol could impact one woman’s pregnancy and have little to no effect on another pregnancy.

So, tell us: Did you have a drink during your pregnancy?