[Alcohol and pregnancy. Negative and positive effects of acute and chronic effect of alcohol on the course and outcome of pregnancy].

The attitude towards alcohol is ambiguous and mainly depending upon the role attributed to it:as a stimulant, as a pharmacon or as a drug the person may be addicted to. Acute and chronic alcohol intoxication may be followed by psychic and somatic leasons. As far as pregnancy is concerned, leasons due to chronic alcohol consume have to be considered as maternal factors of high risk to the pregnancy. Acute alcohol intoxication may be harmful for the pregnancy as well as gametogenesis and gametes and embryo. Alcohol has been used in obstetrics as an analgetic during delivery, for premedication in obstetrical operations, for elimination of edema in toxicosis, as an abortifacient and as adjuvant in termination of lactation. Critical evaluation shows that these indications are only of historical value. Today more effective and specific compounds are available and as for the narcotic effect is concerned the dosage of the new narcotics of course is more exact. Alcohol recently has been proposed as a tocolytic agent. Although today other tocolytics are available, it should be kept in mind as a substitute if the use of beta-mimetic substances is not possible. The controversy about the value of alcohol in therapy or prevention of newborn hyperbilirubinaemie is not yet resolved, but should be clarified since this therapy--if of value--would constitute one of the rare possibilities to interfere with the fetal metabolism.