Hope and inspo ditching alcohol for ttc

[orangeloo]

Hi'

I've been ttc for 15 months with no joy. I've tried almost everything. I'm at the point where I'm seriously going to ditch the booze. I'm not an alcoholic probably drink about the 14 units guidelines a week or less and I'm a great believer of everything in moderation. However 15 months and all good fertility tests so far I'm standing on the unexplained lines and I feel that maybe to get my fertility up this could be the culprit. I just wondered if anyone else out there ditched booze after trying a while and had success that they put down to that?
I know all the guidelines and am a healthy person so Please no lectures on how zero alcohol is best when ttc.
Just looking for some much needed support and hope.

Following with interest!

I'd like to know what people have to say about this too... 🤔

To add, I mentioned this to my GP and even she kind of said 'yeahh, there's only some very anecdotal evidence alcohol effects fertility but it's worth a go I spose' she wasn't convinced either way and I can't find any solid research. She said this about 6 months ago so I forgot about the idea. But now I'm looking for any real life examples. I'm going to give it a shot regardless but would love some good news to spur me on.

After we’d been ttc for around the same time as you, I seriously cut down on the amount of alcohol I was drinking - ca. 3 months later I got a BFP!

I also threw pretty much everything but the kitchen sink at it including supplements and acupuncture, so can’t actually say that it was the lack of booze that helped... but it certainly can’t hurt. Good luck!

@Metalhead thank you for this. glad you got your BFP!

@Mutedgrey @Lisa127 I was really hoping to get some more stories on this. Have you guys been trying a while?

Hi OP.
We tried for 7months but nothing happened. I do like a drink though and every month I would say I would quit but then I just never did. A little voice in my head would say ‘alcoholics get pregnant, heroin addicts get pregnant. I’ll be fine’.
Then after Christmas I decided to take a break. That month I got pregnant!
The only thing is that I recently miscarried that baby. It’s been hard to deal with.
And I want to just get pregnant again, but I’m sad and also want to drink some wine most evenings and numb myself a tiny bit.
I didn’t share as I didn’t want to bring miscarriage into a conception thread. But.. when I did stop and immediately get pregnant.

But more importantly than alcohol, as you are not drinking a lot, do you do ovulation tests? This for me the KEY thing

Ive been trying too long and what feels like too hard! I like a drink, on and off. I'm more thinking about partners sperm being drunk though 🤔
We've hit a rough patch, everything coming at us at once. And every month feels like awful failure. Trying to patch things up now and hoping a little reconciliatory honeymoon period will help us put some focus elsewhere for a bit. Hopefully the rest will fall into place

@Mutedgrey I'm so sorry to hear of your miscarriage but thank you for sharing your story. I have that same little voice about alcoholics and junkies. However I need to give it a go I also listened to a fertility expert who said that just because those people do get pregnant unfortunately it doesn't mean you will. So I have to try because if I don't I'll never know. I've used OPK's from the beginning yes. I'm no expert but you've been through a trauma so be gentle with yourself and have a glass of wine if you need it and just take baby steps. X

@Lisa127 I've been trying very hard too it's mentally and physically draining and drains your relationship. Having a forced month off this cycle as DP is abroad for work and I'm glad in a way to have a rest from the dtd schedule. From what I've seen alcohol is quite a big factor in sperm production so definitely worth thinking about once you are in a good place to. I hope things do come round for you and things fall into place. X

@orangeloo hope all works out for you too. I try to stay healthy but the stress of everything makes me want to drink! People say forget about it and it'll happen, but you can't just easily forget what with OPKs and cm etc... too much to look out for all of the time! Unless you just 'DTD every other day'. Who has the energy for that?!

Exactly @Lisa127 totally with you who the hell has the energy or time for that. My sister has told me to just do it every day!! and I don't know wether to scream or cry or slap her haha. I actually think my relationship would end If I forced that on us. And she almost doesn't believe me when I say that's a waste of time anyway as your not fertile all month!?!? FRustrating is not the word.