Alcohol use during pregnancy
This web page provides links to information and tools for midwives and other maternity clinicians on alcohol use and pregnancy and to support services that may be beneficial for their clients.
Key links
- Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol
- Clinical Practice Guidelines: Pregnancy Care
- AUDIT-C Screening Tool
Note: Links will open in a new window/tab.
| Organisation | Resource | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Australian College of Midwives | Want to Know: Pregnancy and Alcohol | The Australian College of Midwives proves a free online training for people who want to understand more about alcohol and pregnancy. This links provides instructions on how to enrol in their 'Want to Know: Pregnancy and Alcohol course'. |
| Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care | Clinical Practice Guidelines: Pregnancy Care | National guidelines for healthcare providers in the provision of evidence-based maternity care in Australia |
| South Australian Department of Health | South Australian Perinatal Practices Guidelines – Substance use in Pregnancy (PDF 5.0MB) | Guidelines for the health care providers supporting women with substance use issues during pregnancy. |
| Government of Western Australia | Antenatal Shared Care Guidelines for General Practitioners | Guidelines for general practitioners and other maternity care providers involved in low-risk pregnancies for women in Western Australia. |
| National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre | Supporting pregnant women who use alcohol or other drugs: A guide for primary health care professionals (PDF 1.0MB) | Guidelines to assist maternity care clinicians in identifying pregnant women who use alcohol and other drugs and responding to the needs of these women and their babies. |
| National Health and Medical Research Council | Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol | Guidelines for the Australian community regarding the risks associated with alcohol consumption to inform individual decision-making. These also include a chapter on pregnancy and breastfeeding. |
| NSW Ministry of Health | Guidelines for the Management of Substance Use During Pregnancy Birth and the Postnatal Period | These guidelines support and provide best practice advice to health professionals in the management of drug use during pregnancy, birth and early development years of the newborn. |
| Queensland Department of Health | Queensland Clinical Guidelines: Perinatal substance use: maternal (PDF 390kB) | Guidelines for health professionals in Queensland providing best practice advice in the management of alcohol and drug use during pregnancy. |
| World Health Organisation | Guidelines for the identification and management of substance use and substance use disorders in pregnancy | Guidelines for health professionals that provide best practice advice in the management of alcohol and drug use during pregnancy, birth and early years. |
| Organisation | Resource | Description |
|---|---|---|
| The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners | Information for health professionals on assessing alcohol consumption in pregnancy using AUDIT-C | Provides information for health professionals on assessing alcohol consumption in pregnancy using AUDIT-C |
Organisation | Resource | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Better Health Channel, Government of Victoria | Advice for women regarding alcohol and other drug use during pregnancy, including advice on conducting conversations with healthcare providers. | |
| Australian Government Department of Health | Information for women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy regarding alcohol use during pregnancy. | |
| Government of Western Australia | Information for women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy regarding alcohol use during pregnancy. | |
| Remote Alcohol & Other Drugs Workforce Program | This brochure provides information for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women about the health risks of alcohol use during pregnancy. | |
| Royal Hospital for Women | MotherSafe provide a free telephone service to women in NSW to discuss alcohol and other drug use during pregnancy. | |
| The Royal Women’s Hospital | The Women's Alcohol and Drug Service provides support to pregnant women in Victoria with alcohol and other drug issues during pregnancy. |
Organisation | Resource | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Health Direct | Information on types of alcohol and drug rehabilitation programs and contact information for services across Australia. Not pregnancy specific. |
Organisation | Resource | Description |
|---|---|---|
| FASD Hub Australia | Provides information for health professions on assessing, diagnosing and managing FASD. | |
| National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre | Supporting Pregnant Women Who Use Alcohol or Other Drugs: a review of the evidence | These guidelines provide evidence regarding the risks of alcohol consumption for the Australian population. They include a chapter on pregnancy and breastfeeding and alcohol consumption. |
| RANZCOG | The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists position statement that provides a summary of the issue of alcohol use in pregnancy as well as links to other resources for health professionals. | |
| Telethon Kids Institute & University of Sydney | The Australian Guide to the diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) | The Australian Guide to the Diagnosis of FASD was produced to assist clinicians in the diagnosis, referral and management of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. |