| Summary: | Nearly half of all pregnant women in the Western world drink prior to recognising pregnancy. The current study aimed to investigate the factors associated with drinking prior to recognising pregnancy among pregnant women and factors associated with risky drinking among nonpregnant sexually active women. The study was a cross-sectional survey of a random sample of women aged 18 to 35 years (<i>n</i> = 1062) selected from the New Zealand electoral roll. Pregnant women (currently pregnant: <i>n</i> = 65; previously pregnant: <i>n</i> = 202) who were risky drinkers and who smoked in the year prior to pregnancy had five times the odds (<i>p</i> < 0.01) and women who planned their pregnancy (<i>p</i> = 0.05) and who used a community service card (<i>p</i> = 0.004) had less than half the odds to drink prior to recognising pregnancy than their respective counterparts. Among sexually active nonpregnant women who consumed alcohol, those who smoked in the year prior to the survey and those who drank for social reasons, for mood enhancement or coping reasons had higher odds of being risky drinkers (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Addressing risky drinking, especially in social settings, and smoking among women of peak childbearing age may mitigate the potential risk of drinking prior to recognising pregnancy.
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