Breunis LJ, Wassenaar S, Sibbles BJ, et al. - Researchers performed a prospective, cross-sectional, single center study to biochemically evaluate the prevalence of alcohol consumption during early pregnancy using phosphatidylethanol in blood and compare this with self-reported alcohol consumption. The investigation was carried out between September 2016 and October 2017 at the Erasmus MC, a tertiary hospital in an urban area in the Netherlands. Participants in the study were 684 women. One in every nineteen women drank alcohol during their first nine months of pregnancy, with a high percentage failing to notify their obstetric care provider. An obstetric care provider's questioning of alcohol consumption did not successfully identify (hazardous) alcohol consumption. Routine screening for phosphatidylethanol in maternal blood can help identify women who drink alcohol during pregnancy.