Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Conception

When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

Flip

Original poster

The Big Alcohol Question

11 replies

MollyDefoe · 02/03/2011 13:45

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!

OP posts:

jamama · 02/03/2011 13:52

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 · 02/03/2011 13:54

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 · 02/03/2011 16:42

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 · 02/03/2011 18:28

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 · 03/03/2011 21:56

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 · 03/03/2011 23:20

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 · 04/03/2011 08:24

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.

Original poster

MollyDefoe · 04/03/2011 14:08

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!

OP posts:

minipie · 04/03/2011 14:15

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 · 05/03/2011 13:58

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 · 05/03/2011 14:16

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!

Flip