What, if any, effects did ale have on pregnant women in the Medieval Ages

by knitwrite

I know ale and wine was safer to drink than water but did it have any effects on the fetus as we now know drinking alcohol during pregnancy can have ill effects on the fetus.

DanKensington

I'm afraid your question rests on a false premise. Medieval water cleanliness was Serious Business, and the notion that they all drank alcoholic drinks to make water safe is pop-cultural nonsense.

I shall direct you first to the VFAQ (Middle Ages, subsection Health and Hygiene, in case your browser doesn't go there immediately), in particular the answers from u/sunagainstgold and u/Qweniden.

To illustrate just how Serious Business water was for the Medieval era, more u/sunagainstgold on the incidents she touches on in her VFAQ post:

On the specific matter of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in the Medieval Era, see next post.