The Big Alcohol Question

[MollyDefoe]

Hi there,

I'm on first cycle of TTC#1 (sooo excited and hopeful!), and have generally reduced my alcohol intake to about 2 units per week. BUT it's my birthday in about a week's time, which is exactly when I'll ov too. I guess my question is, can alcohol do damage to a fertilised egg prior to implantation? If I did drink on my birthday, and was lucky enough to have a successfully fertilised egg at that point, might this affect the chances of it happily implanting? Or is it only important not to drink after implantation?

Any advice very gratefully received!

[jamama]

You're not sharing a blood supply with an egg until it has implanted. Your blood is where the alcohol is. So no, unlikely to damage egg via having a few drinks on birthday. That said, every fertility book going seems to recommend abstinence; I however think you're doing great to have cut down to 2u/wk (but am not a Dr).

[TrillianAstra]

Until implantation (around the time your period would be due) I dont't believe there is anything you can do that would be good or bag for the fertilized egg (barring MAP).

If you've been cutting down you'll be a lightweight anyway!

[angster]

Apparently women who have a glass of wine in the evening are more likely to become pregnant quickly, www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-6326714-wine-boosts-pregnancy.do

Yes yes you hear all these theories all the time. However, in my experience with friends, it is those who continue to drink who fall pregnant quicker and I mean some of them have got hammered and got pregnant the month of getting hammered. I wouldn't advocate that but I cut out alcohol and am now on cycle 9 so there is just no rhyme or reason to it.

Enjoy your brithday I say!

[kay157]

Hi Molly, my mum took two and half years to fall for me and the night she conceived she was very very drunk apparently (my mum wasn't a drinker usually)and i've turned out ok....maybe it's to do with the fact your more relaxed i don't know but i wouldn't worry about this until you are actually pregnant. Just enjoy your birthday and let your hair down..you never know you may end up pregnant!!! :)

[LivinInTheMoment]

Yup, I say relax enjoy your b-day and have your few (or more) drinks!
You are not over indulging every single night right? One night on the tiles with a few celebration dirnks won't do you (or future baba)damage.

[CaveMum]

As others have said, you need to be sharing a blood supply with the embryo in order for you to pass anything on. The placenta doesn't form for about 4 weeks or so, so it is very very unlikely that alcohol will have an effect at such an early stage.

[Ilovekittyelise]

i'd just say relax in general. you might conceive really quickly or it might take a while, so just try to carry on as normal. a balanced healthy lifestyle can involve letting your hair down and quite honestly if you don't conceive right away you could be letting yourself in for a miserable self-flagellating couple of years!

re the '2ww' i agree with everyone else. mine was over christmas and i pretty much knew i was pregnant and i wasnt an angel; baby is fine.

[MollyDefoe]

Thanks so much for the advice, everyone! Sounds like I should just chill out about the whole ttc thing. I guess I have a pretty healthy lifestyle already, and I'm definitely not out on the lash every night - but i am fond of the odd glass of wine!

[minipie]

I thought the reason they recommend not drinking while TTCing is because you often aren't sure whether you're PG or not for the first few weeks. In other words it's not about damage to the egg, it's about damage to the embryo in the early stages before you know you're PG.

[phooey]

I feel your pain! It was my birthday night out yesterday and I'm on the 2ww of our first month of ttc. I had 2 tiny glasses of sangria and about a third of a bottle of beer. My usual weekend night out would be more like the whole jug of sangria and several beers

It was impossible to hide that I wasn't drinking, with everyone trying to buy me birthday shots of tequila etc, so the cat's out the bag with the girls who were there, they immediately sussed what was up!

I'm 7dpo, and desperate to know if I'm a first-time-lucky girl or if I should've thrown caution to the wind and just got hammered. On the plus side, DH is sooo hangover today and I'm being smug

[Velvetcu]

Hi

I have been ttc following an mmc in June last year. I had cut down on alcohol, wouldnt drink much from a few days before ov onwards. In Feb, I kind of gave up, went out and got hammered on ov day and am now 6+1 - actually got pg following a "still drunk in the morning" bit of action :) I am yet to know if this one will work out but fx.

You really cant put your life on hold whilst ttc - it will drive you crazy!