Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy and Risk of Placental Abruption and Placenta Previa Muktar H. Aliyu • O’Neil Lynch • Philip N. Nana • Amina P. Alio • Ronee ´ E. Wilson • Phillip J. Marty • Roger Zoorob • Hamisu M. Salihu Published online: 1 May 2010 Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010 Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the association between prenatal alcohol consumption and the occurrence of placental abruption and placenta previa in a population-based sample. We used linked birth data files to conduct a retrospective cohort study of singleton deliveries in the state of Missouri during the period 1989 through 2005 (n = 1,221,310). The main outcomes of interest were placenta previa, placental abruption and a composite outcome defined as the occurrence of either or both lesions. Multivariate logistic regression was used to generate adjusted odd ratios, with non-drinking mothers as the ref- erent category. Women who consumed alcohol during pregnancy had a 33% greater likelihood for placental abruption during pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.33 [1.16–1.54]). No associa- tion was observed between prenatal alcohol use and the risk of placenta previa. Alcohol consumption in pregnancy was positively related to the occurrence of either or both placental conditions (adjusted OR [95% CI] = 1.29 [1.14– 1.45]). Mothers who consumed alcohol during pregnancy were at elevated risk of experiencing placental abruption, but not placenta previa. Our findings underscore the need for screening and behavioral counseling interventions to combat alcohol use by pregnant women and women of childbearing age. Keywords Alcohol  Placenta previa  Placental abruption  Population-based study Introduction Maternal alcohol use during pregnancy is a leading pre- ventable cause of fetal malformations, neurodevelopmental abnormalities and perinatal mortality [1–3]. One of the pathways by which alcohol is postulated to exert its inhibitory effects on fetal development is via impaired placentation [4]. The two important placental pathologies include placenta previa and placental abruption, both of which are precursors of perinatal mortality and morbidity. Placental abruption accounts for up to a third of all peri- natal deaths [5, 6], mostly due to its detrimental effects on length of gestation and fetal growth [7, 8]. Similarly, M. H. Aliyu Department of Preventive Medicine, Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA O. Lynch Department of Mathematics, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Moorhead, MN, USA e-mail: onelynch@yahoo.com P. N. Nana Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Yaounde 1, Yaounde, Cameroon A. P. Alio  H. M. Salihu (&) Department of Family and Community Health, Center for Research and Evaluation, Lawton and Rhea Chiles Center, For Healthy Mothers and Babies, University of South Florida, 3111 E. Fletcher Avenue, Tampa, FL 33613, USA e-mail: hamisu.salihu@gmail.com R. E. Wilson Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA P. J. Marty The Chiles Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA e-mail: PMARTY@health.usf.edu R. Zoorob Southeast Fetal Alcohol Research and Training Center, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN, USA 123 Matern Child Health J (2011) 15:670–676 DOI 10.1007/s10995-010-0615-6