is it really bad to drink while TTC?

[Brodicea]

I went to a house party the other day and had a few glasses of wine (and some mulled cider), but stopped short of getting drunk. I'm not a heavy drinker by any means, but have noticed some advice out there to cut out drinking all together when TTC. Can it really impair your chances of conceiving, to have the odd few drinks? Surely many babies are conceived while the mother is blotto?!
I feel just guilty as hell about it, but I am so sick of being made to feel (and making myself feel) like a barren, gin-swigging harpy just for not following all of the advice to the letter...

As an aside, I feel like if I cut it out totally in social situations, I would be open to loads of questions and insinuation: people just presume you are pregnant if you don't drink, and I might be TTC for a very long time to come...

Well, my view is that ttc is very stressful anyone without being able to drink so I think as long as its in moderation and your not binge drinking every weekend it should be fine.

My mum never really drank at all but the night I was concieved she was rather merry lol.:)

anyway

Loads of babies are conceived when at least one of their parents is blotto.

Statistically speaking, you may very slightly increase your chances of conceiving each cycle if you (and preferably your dp) stop drinking. Although as blondebaby and you say, ttc is stressful enough and may go on for some time, so it's possibly a dramatic life change to much for most.

I get the impression that most people just go for it and take folic acid supplements when they're trying to get pregnant, then review if there's anything they can do to increase their chances 6 months plus down the line.

I felt better drinking very moderately in the first part of my cycle, then not the latter just in case I did conceive, but you need to do whatever you feel most comfortable with.

I'm with you on this Brodicea! Not drinking results in too many questions so I've just tried to drink much more slowly than I did before I was ttc. I can now get away with drinking a couple of glasses all night rather than a bottle as I did before. It's also a bonus to wake up without a hangover and I think this could be a very long road if there was no wine to cheer me up at the end of a hard week!!! Plus, my DH has also reduced his drinking in line with me which is a bonus!