Should you stop drinking if you’re trying to get your partner pregnant? – It’s not necessary to completely stop drinking alcohol if you’re trying to conceive. The same study, and others, have shown that abstaining from alcohol completely is also associated with lower sperm quality.
- The reason behind this is not well understood, but may be related to the antioxidants in alcohol.
- The exact amount of alcohol intake that affects fertility is unclear, but fewer than five units of alcohol per week seems to be “safe.” That’s about 3–4 beers, 2–3 mixed drinks, or 3 glasses of wine.
- If you regularly drink more than that, cutting down your alcohol intake may be beneficial to your sperm.
The good news is that, if you reduce your drinking, your sperm are likely to recover and reverse the adverse effects of alcohol on male fertility. The sperm cycle is around 74 days, so you should expect to see an improvement in any alcohol-related fertility concerns after about three months of drinking less.
Does alcohol affect sperm when trying to get pregnant?
Male fertility and alcohol – Drinking more that the UK low risk drinking guidelines (14 units per week) lowers testosterone levels and sperm quality and quantity in men.11,12 That’s because men who regularly exceed the guidelines are at risk of destroying sperm-producing cells in the testicles, affecting the quality of their sperm.13 Alcohol affects male fertility too – female partners of men who have a high intake of alcohol are less likely to become pregnant.10 As well as affecting hormone levels, alcohol can inhibit the function of the testes, stopping sperm from developing properly and reducing the sperm’s ability to move towards an egg.
This happens because alcohol stops the liver from properly metabolising vitamin A, which is needed for sperm to develop.14 And alcohol can affect your sex life whether you’re trying for a baby or not. Drinking to excess can also harm a male’s sexual performance, causing impotence and loss of sexual desire.15 Read more of the NHS’ advice on how to improve your chances of becoming a dad here.
Find out more about how alcohol affects men 
Is it OK to conceive while drinking?
Q: Can a father’s drinking cause harm to the baby? – A: How alcohol affects the male sperm is currently being studied. Whatever the effects are found to be, they are not fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). FASDs are caused specifically when a baby is exposed to alcohol during pregnancy.
Does drinking everyday make it harder to get pregnant?
Women – While it is not known exactly how alcohol affects fertility in women, research shows that even drinking lightly can increase the time it takes to get pregnant, and reduce the chances of having a healthy baby. Women who drink large amounts of alcohol (seven or more drinks a week or more than three drinks on one occasion) are more likely to have heavy or irregular periods and fertility problems.
How long should I wait to conceive after drinking?
Is Occasional Drinking Safe? – Confusion surrounding low to moderate alcohol consumption during preconception may have arisen from several studies showing that low-level drinking did not increase the risk of preterm delivery or a low-birth-weight baby.
- Some of these findings have circulated in the media, leaving many pregnant people to ask whether it is really necessary to completely abstain from alcohol during early pregnancy.
- One problem with the research is that not all possible cognitive and psychological impacts of alcohol on a developing fetus have been examined.
Even if a baby is born at a healthy weight, research shows they may still experience lifelong learning challenges if they were exposed to alcohol during the first trimester. If you are going to drink on occasion while trying to conceive, you may want to:
Avoid all alcoholic drinks within one month of a fertility treatment cycle, Avoid drinking during your two-week wait (the period after ovulation and before your period starts).
Once you know you’re pregnant, you should stop drinking immediately. You should also avoid alcoholic drinks as soon as your period is late—even if you have yet to get a positive pregnancy test result. If you’re currently trying to conceive, experts still recommend that you abstain from alcohol.
How much alcohol does it take to affect male fertility?
– Social alcohol use is common around the world, but heavy drinking has lots of bad health effects. In the United States, a 2015 survey found nearly 27 percent of those 18 or older reported binge drinking in the past month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in approximately 35 percent of cases of infertility, male and female factors were identified.
Can you drink alcohol before sperm collection?
How to Prepare –
As part of the fertility workup, you’ll make an appointment to either produce your sample in the office or drop it off at the clinic or lab after you produce a sample at home. With sperm, timing is of the essence, so plan accordingly. You’ll need to refrain from any sexual activity for at least two days, but not more than five to seven days before your sample is collected. This means no sex or no ejaculation of any kind, including masturbation. Each physician may have their own criteria for abstinence so be sure to check with your clinic. Longer or shorter periods of abstinence may result in a lower sperm count, or decreased sperm motility or movement. Samples produced after two days of abstinence will usually have the highest numbers of motile sperm with the greatest forward velocity when compared to samples produced after shorter or longer periods of abstinence. Some men think saving up all their sperm for the day of their test is what’s preferred but waiting too long between ejaculation is a big mistake: older sperm begins to die if ejaculations are infrequent and the percentage of live sperm decreases with increased abstinence. You’ll also need to give up some (potentially) unhealthy habits. It is best to limit smoking, drinking, and of course drugs during the 10 days preceding your sperm collection (you may want to consider these lifestyle changes even further in advance). Specific things that could affect the quality of your sperm sample include:
Medication, such as cimetidine (Tagamet), male and female hormones (testosterone, estrogen), sulfasalazine, nitrofurantoin, and some chemotherapy medication. Caffeine, alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, and tobacco. Some drugs such as anabolic steroids can affect sperm production. Herbal medicines, such as St. John’s wort and high doses of echinacea.
Can male sperm cause fetal alcohol syndrome?
Therefore, there is evidence that the exposure of fathers’ sperm to alcohol can pass on alcohol toxicity and cause phenotypes similar to FASD, and fathers’ genetic contribution can play a role in whether the fetus is vulnerable or resilient to maternal PAE.