Pregnant women can safely drink the equivalent of a small glass of wine each day, a health watchdog has suggested, contradicting the Government’s official advice on the subject.

In May, the Department of Health advised pregnant women and those trying to conceive to cut out alcohol altogether rather than limit it.

Now the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has produced draft guidance stating that pregnant women can consume up to 1.5 units of alcohol a day after the first three months of pregnancy. There was “no consistent evidence” to show a small amount of alcohol damaged unborn children, NICE said. The guidelines are out for consultation and are due to be published in March.

A NICE spokesman said: “The experts developing this guideline have carried out a systematic review of all the evidence available on the risks of drinking alcohol in pregnancy.

“The recommendations in the draft guideline are based on this evidence. The experts have concluded that there is no consistent evidence of adverse effects from low to moderate alcohol during pregnancy (less than one drink or 1.5 units per day) but the evidence is probably not strong enough to rule out any risk.”

The risks of birth defects, miscarriage and behavioural problems among children of drinking mothers were considered. The experts concluded women should avoid alcohol only during the first trimester, but said drinking led to a slightly higher risk of miscarriage.

A small 125ml glass of red or white wine is just under 1.5 units, the Department of Health said. Half a pint of 5 per cent lager or strong cider or a bottle of “alcopop” are also 1.5 units. A 25ml measure of spirits is one unit.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said the “safest option” was for pregnant women to abstain from drinking.

A British Medical Association (BMA) report concluded earlier this year that heavy drinking by pregnant women can cause learning and physical disabilities and behavioural problems. The BMA said that such disorders could only be completely prevented by abstaining completely from alcohol during pregnancy, and expressed concern that any relaxed guidelines could be misinterpreted, as the varying alcoholic strengths or standard measures of different beers and wines can make it difficult for women to tell how many units they are consuming.

Vivienne Nathanson, BMA spokes-woman on science and ethics, commented: “Many women will not know they are pregnant during the early part of pregnancy, during which time they may continue to drink in their prepregnancy fashion.”

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