A dose-response effect of ethanol intake on pregnant rats and their offspring has been studied. Ingestion of 36% ethanol diet reduced daily food consumption and attenuated gain in body weight relative to mothers fed control diet ad libitum. Mean values of survived litter size and body weight of offspring were significantly less than those of controls, although pair-fed controls ingested the same amount of food as ethanol-fed mothers. Offspring of 36% ethanol-fed animals failed to "catch up" in body weight relative to control pups. In contrast, feeding of 20% or 13% ethanol liquid diet did not adversely affect mothers and their offspring. Finally, administration of ethanol as 20% v/v drinking solution ad libitum resulted in decreased food intake as well as gain in body weight of pregnant rats and their offspring. The data suggest that ethanol ingestion in relatively smaller doses had no effect on maternal weight, litter size survival and growth of offspring, whereas relatively high ethanol doses adversely affected pregnant rats and their offspring.