While the connection between alcohol consumption and pregnancy complications had been observed for thousands of years, it was not until the 1960s that scientists were able to definitively link drinking to an increased chance of miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth, and birth defects (categorized today as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder). These risks were well-known in Soviet Russia, where studies showed that drinking during pregnancy could lead to a wide variety of birth defects.