Female Alcoholics Less Likely to Have Children

A study of female alcoholics found that more women are developing the disorder, which may affect a woman's chances of motherhood.

Researchers at Washington University looked at Australian female twins born before and after 1964. In the group born before 1964, only 4 percent were alcoholics - in the post-1964 group, the rate rose to 15 percent. In the older group, 64 percent of alcoholic women had children, compared to 78 percent of the non-alcoholics. In the after-1964 group, only 38 percent of the alcoholics were mothers, compared to 49 percent of the non-alcoholics.

"This study was about women with persistent drinking problems," said Professor Nick Martin, chief author. "The observation is that they will have less reproduction and delayed reproduction."

The study appears in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.