Phosphatidylethanol 16:0/18:1PEth as a Biomarker of Alcohol Consumption during Pregnancy.

Plasma levels of 16:0/18:1PEth is as a laboratory blood marker of alcohol consumption. In a longitudinal cohort study, the plasma levels of 16:0/18:1PEth were measured in women at different gestational periods and the results were compared with the data from three alternative questionnaires of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Pregnant women (n = 309) were surveyed using T-ACE, TWEAK, and AUDIT questionnaires followed by measurement of 16:0/18:1PEth by HPLC-MS. According to the survey, 61% of pregnant women had an experience of drinking alcohol before the onset of current pregnancy. Objectively, 60, 51, and 49% of involved women had blood plasma levels of 16:0/18:1PEth exceeding 8 ng/ml in the first, second, and third trimesters. The laboratory-confirmed frequency of alcohol consumption in pregnant women is significantly higher (p < 0.001) than in the survey.