Alcohol and conception

[mummysfirsttime]

I'm aware of the obvious reasons to not drink alcohol while pregnant but just wondered if there was any reasons to not drink while ttc. Can it affect egg or sperm quality, can it increase chance of mc etc? Can it reduce change of pg? Is the occasional drink while ttc ok or should we both be good? I don't mean binges but sharing to occasional bottle of wine on a weekend?

Cutting back on alcohol does help with fertility. But being relaxed is also helpful so the odd glass of wine isn't the worst idea! There's some more info here www.nhs.uk/change4life

Hubby and I have really cut back on the alcohol - its hard when you're used to drinking a lot!

I went out and got drunk last night and I feel guilty :(

Yeah we have just shared a bottle of bubble hence the guilt! Think I'll try stopping for a couple of months to see if that helps things along x

Brace yourself for everyone asking if you've stopped drinking because you're pregnant...

I was smashed first time I fell pregnant. No alcohol when pregnant other than a small glass of red at Christmas. My son is fine.

Lol Winkly, the things people ask are awful. Should you be having that? stern face. I stuffed myself with peanut butter first time round, found it helped morning sickness, now they suggest it could cause allergies.

They change what you can have so often who knows what they'll be saying is/isn't fine next. Be sensible, all within moderation and enjoy trying to get pregnant.

I had a really boozy few weeks (summer time, bbqs, parties etc) before I discovered I was pregnant with my twins. It freaked me out and I was convinced I had damaged them. The midwife laughed at my concerns and said most babies were conceived in a haze of alcohol and as long as I didn't continue with that lifestyle then all we would be well. It was, they were/are fine.

Regular small amounts of alcohol is no problem while ttc for either of you assuming you have no fertility issues. Baby doesnt share a blood supply with you until you are about 6 weeks anyway by which time you might be suspicious and have done a test. Hth

Thanks everyone! Everything in moderation then until my bfp

There are studies either way. This is a good summary:

www.aim-digest.com/gateway/pages/women/articles/Fecundity.htm

They are not mentioned on the link but I know there have been studies related to alcohol and IVF success which seem to show a correlation between higher success rates and not drinking, which is why many fertility clinics recommend not drinking when having IVF.

Maybe drinking is not a problem for people with good fertility (think how many babies are conceived in a haze of alcohol) but more of an issue for less fertile women? Who knows. Whilst ttc I have cut down conception considerably and am now trying complete abstention as we are likely to move to IVF in the next couple of months. I hate it. But we have tried just about everything else!

Drinking regularly can halve your chances of getting pg, according to fertility specialists, and is one of the main culprits (along with smoking) for low fertility in men. But like the others say - it can also relax you etc, so I'm sure the odd glass won't make a difference.

We have given up totally but we've been TTCing for ages and DP has motility issues - low fertility. He was drinking two good glasses of wine a night before we found out... a bit too much if you ask me. We also have a 2yo so drinking and early starts don't go v well together.

Just aim to be healthy and hopefully you'll get that BFP soon.

Hearty - the doctor gave me the latest advice leaflet when they found I we were trying and that said that eating peanuts is ok again now.
Just don't eat liquorice.

Pipbin why liquorice?

Studies show that children of mothers who eat liquorice had a lower iq.
I can't imagine enough woman ate copious amounts of liquorice to make a decent study.

Interesting no liquorice for me then!! Thanks