How Does Alcohol Consumption Affect Fertility?

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How does alcohol consumption affect fertility? The short and simple answer is that drinking alcohol can adversely affect fertility and can also cause damage to the baby. As a result, total abstinence seems to be the most logical solution when couples are trying to have a baby.

Not only this, but refraining from drinking alcohol when you are trying to have a child, during pregnancy, and while the mother is breast feeding the baby totally eliminates the countless number of negative "what if" scenarios that can be imagined.

Getting Answers From the Fertility Research Literature

Couples wanting to have children often ask the following: "how does alcohol consumption affect fertility"? Obviously, the best place to find the answer to this question is in the fertility research literature.

Unfortunately, many of the studies seeking to understand the relationship between alcohol and fertility do not agree with one another.

image: should this pregnant woman be drinking? While drinking alcohol certainly does affect fertility, scientific experts in this area of research have neither been able to calculate how much alcohol must be ingested to affect fertility nor how much alcohol consumption is "safe."

Fertility researchers have typically discussed alcohol and fertility in terms of alcohol consumption. That is, many research studies have focused on whether there is a significant difference between low consumption, moderate consumption, and heavy or excessive consumption.

Keep in mind that when anyone discusses alcohol consumption and offers guidelines on drinking, a number of factors are at work. For instance, since not everyone weights the same, has the same metabolism, is the same gender, is the same age, or reacts the same way to alcohol, any "guidelines" must be taken as that--guidelines and not a perfect system of measurement or calculation.

Alcohol Consumption Levels

The following represents the differences in low, moderate, and heavy or excessive alcohol consumption:

Low Alcohol Consumption: less than one drink per day (for instance, having 1 to 5 drinks per week at different times)
Moderate Alcohol Consumption: 1 or 2 drinks per day
Heavy or Excessive Alcohol Consumption: more than 2 drinks per day

Moderate Levels of Alcohol Consumption Can Also Be Dangerous

image: doctor talking with female alcoholic abut her rehab The question is so pivotal that it warrants asking it again, namely, does alcohol consumption affect fertility? The short and simple answer is "yes," drinking alcohol can adversely affect fertility and can also cause damage to the baby. While researchers have long been aware of the adverse effects of chronic alcoholism on fertility and on the health of the baby, such as fetal alcohol syndrome, many researchers are now finding that moderate alcohol consumption can also lead to similar issues.

Not surprisingly, findings such as these have made their way into the doctors' offices. Indeed, it has been discovered that many, if not most, doctors recommend that their patients fully disclose their drinking habits before they try to have a child so that the doctor can provide solid guidance and information that will help avoid conception and fertility issues.

Every year in the United States, more than 40,000 babies are born with some degree of alcohol-related impairment. Although many, if not most, women understand that excessive drinking during pregnancy can lead to birth defects, many woman, apparently, are unaware or do not comprehend that moderate or even light drinking can seriously impair or harm the unborn fetus.

Some Damaging Effects of Alcohol Consumption and Fertility

The following represents some of the negative consequences of drinking alcohol and the fertility and health issues of the mother and/or the baby:

infertility
increased risk for spontaneous abortion
impaired fetal growth and development
hypothalmic-pituitary-ovarian dysfunction resulting in the lack of ovulation, the abnormal development of the endometrial lining, and the absence of menses
increased risk for a miscarriage, pre-term birth, or stillbirth
numerous ovulatory dysfunctions
increased risk of fetal alcohol syndrome and possible congenital heart defects and brain anomalies
possible mental retardation in the baby
increased menstrual problems and gynecologic surgery
altered estrogen and progesterone levels

In the third stage of alcoholism, the loss of control becomes common, meaning that the person is unable to drink according to his or her intentions. For example, once the person takes the first drink, he or she can no longer control what will happen, even though the intention might have been to have
one or two drinks.

Deleterious Effects of Drinking Alcohol and the Fertility of the Father

The following represents some of the negative consequences of drinking alcohol and the fertility of the father:

abnormal liver function and a rise in estrogen levels that, in turn, affect sperm development and hormone levels
killing off the sperm-generating cells in the testicles

If you are addicted to alcohol, part of your treatment may include regular attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings. The AA recovery program is based on a spiritual framework that, along with support from other alcoholics, has helped millions of people attain sobriety.

Alcohol and Fertility - A Practical Perspective

Let's think about the above information in practical terms. Virtually all researchers agree that excessive drinking significantly and negatively interferes with fertility for the woman AND for the men. Furthermore, many researchers feel strongly about the negative affects of moderate drinking and fertility. So the only "real" option revolves around the following question: will drinking low amounts of alcohol significantly affect our ability in having children or should we simply abstain from drinking alcohol?

In Canada, an estimated 4% of the population over the age of 15 is dependent on alcohol and there are twice as many male alcoholics as female alcoholics. The highest rate of alcoholism in Canadians occurs between the ages of 20 and 24. In Canadian surveys, about 20% of the current and former drinkers stated that their alcoholic drinking negatively affected them, usually affecting their finances or their jobs.

What is considered "safe" or "optimal" changes over time as researchers discover more information. For instance, for many years "optimal" blood pressure was "120 over 80." In more medical terms, 120 over 80 means that the systolic pressure, a measure of the heart when it is beating, is 120 and the diastolic pressure, a measure of the heart at rest, is 80. In the past few years, however, some medical practitioners and researchers have advocated that "optimal" blood pressure is not 120 over 80 but "115 over 75."

In addition to alcohol-related pancreatitis, heart disease, cancer, and liver disease, excessive drinking over time is also associated with the following health conditions: infertility, irritated stomach lining and bleeding from stomach ulcers, obesity, nerve damage, vitamin deficiency, skin problems, muscle disease, sexual problems, epilepsy, and loss of brain cells.

The reader might be wondering what optimal blood pressure has to do with drinking alcohol and fertility? Simply this: If you are asking the question "how does alcohol consumption affect fertility," chances are good that you or your partner (or both) drink alcohol, want to have a child, and do not want any health-related complications for all concerned. For the sake of understanding this more clearly, let's say that the overwhelming majority of fertility researchers and doctors agree that drinking minimal amounts of alcohol will not affect fertility much, if at all.

Fast forward 10 or 15 years. How surprising would it be if future fertility researchers discover that even the smallest amounts of alcohol negatively affect fertility AND that drinking 24 to 72 hours before conception, for instance, may possibly affect the health of the baby in a damaging manner?

In one survey that focused on college drinking behavior during a one-month period of time, 27.4% of American college students across the nation had driven a motor vehicle after drinking alcohol during this 30-day time period.

How Does Alcohol Consumption Affect Fertility: Conclusion

Not dissimilar to the changing views about "optimal" blood pressure measures, the damaging effects of alcohol on fertility may be interpreted more strictly in the future due to advancements in research and in technology. Sure it would be wonderful to be able to enjoy a few drinks while we entertain or go out for the evening, but if drinking the slightest amount of alcohol may affect your ability to have children, not to mention the damaging health consequences that alcohol presents to the woman who will be having the child, why not simply abstain from drinking alcohol while you are trying to have a child, while your female partner is carrying the child, and while the mother is breast feeding the child?

Indeed, refraining from drinking alcohol when you are trying to have a child, during pregnancy, and while the mother is breast feeding the baby totally eliminates the countless number of negative "what if" scenarios that can be anticipated. Not only this, but abstention from alcohol will rule out any negative alcohol-related consequences associated with the health of your baby and should give you the peace of mind knowing that you have been doing the best you can to provide your future child with the best prospects for a life without preventable medical problems. And finally, with abstinence, you won't have to ask the question, "how does alcohol consumption affect fertility"?

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Research has demonstrated that American young people are over-represented in driving accidents involving alcohol. For instance, in a recent year, people from the age of 16 to 24 were involved in 28% of all alcohol-related driving accidents, even though they make up only 14% of the U.S. population. Young people are also over-represented in drinking driver injuries and deaths.

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