General Practitioners (GPs) are often the first health professional a woman goes to when she is either planning a pregnancy or thinks she may be pregnant.
Because of this GPs have an important role in providing the best possible information for women to have a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby.
It is crucial that GPs ask every woman about alcohol use during pregnancy in a non-judgemental manner and advise then of the risks of drinking alcohol during pregnancy.
It is important that any alcohol use before and after confirmation of pregnancy is recorded.
In partnership with the Western Australian Primary Healthy Alliance, researchers from the Telethon Kids Institute have developed three short videos aimed at informing GPs of the importance of asking all pregnant women and women planning a pregnancy about their alcohol use.
Australian research has reported most women of child-bearing age want their health professionals to ask them about alcohol use in pregnancy, and to advise them that not drinking alcohol is the safest choice.
Information about the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy is important advice which should be part of the general conversation with pregnant women about doing everything they can to have a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby.
Topics covered in the three videos are: ‘Alcohol and pregnancy: It’s Everybody’s Business’, ‘Asking Questions About Alcohol In Pregnancy’ and ‘Recording Alcohol Use In Pregnancy’.
These videos and a promotional card are available on the FASD Hub website here.