Christmas alcohol & ivf

[Offtobedigo]

Going to be starting my first icsi cycle in janruary. Male factor issues.
Me and dh like a drink on Christmas and we have a party to go to New Year’s Eve, worried about the drinking to be honest. We don’t really drink as it is but my dh has a few beers on a weekend ( he has cut down a Lot)
We have said we won’t be drinking too much over Christmas. But I feel like it just sucks the fun out a bit, we eat better and take vitamins and our bmis are below 30. Don’t smoke. Will it be a really stupid idea to have a few on Christmas Day? Then a few on New Year’s Eve? By a few I mean get to the tipsy stage then call it a night?
I want to enjoy it and not be too strict but I’m also worried I will regret it and be mad with myself.

My consultant did say that sharing an odd bottle of wine wouldn’t do any harm. Maybe you can make a pact to be super healthy between now and Jan and just have Christmas Eve/day and New Year’s Eve as your time out. I think it is better to avoid spirits and maybe stick to wine? As at least there are some health benefits of wine. If those two nights are your only time off the diet you will be doing well.

For context, my DH and I went totally off alcohol/caffeine from January for our cycle in April. We ate recommended foods, took tons of special supplements, threw out all our plastic utensils and Tupperware, salmon for dinner x3 times a week, no processed meat etc etc and our cycle was a disaster, nearly got cancelled and wasn’t successful. So you can do everything right and get no where so if you do have a few drinks and your cycle doesn’t work I wouldn’t feel bad about it.

Honestly it won't make any difference- obviously don't binge every week between now and then but getting tipsy is fine. It may even help you de stress.
My consultant said to me that the only things within a reasonably healthy lifestyle that will make a difference are the medication and the dose of it.

I've done both ways. Drank nothing in the build up to my first go for 3 months before. This time I did have a few here and there in the run up. Both worked

on my 2 failed cycles i stopped drinking for months before they started. sadly just before my 3rd cycle my nana passed away :-) girls weekend in benidorm & funeral day before ivf started so drank a bit. was the best cycle yet, baby is 17 weeks old.
I don't want to give bad advise but hope you have a good xmas :-)

i meant :-( after nana passed away.

Thanks for your replies ladies much appreciated.
Think I’m just worried it would affect egg/sperm quality more than anything. As my dh has quite severe male factor and his drinking didn’t help much with the motility, as he stopped drinking his motility got a lot better. I feel like I nag him about everything he does incase it affects it and I know I need to stop it.
We’ve both agreed we will enjoy a drink on Xmas day and New Year’s Eve guilt free. Thankyou for the reassurance! X

@Offtobedigo enjoy your Christmas and good luck!

I think you have to be sensible! So say to DH the pact is no alcohol including no beers on the weekend between now and Christmas Eve then Christmas Eve/Christmas Day enjoy yourselves (without going crazy of course!) and then same again until NYE and enjoy your party!

I find it’s a bit like studying for exams when I was in university. You have to sacrifice your social life for study 99% of the time as you want to do well - but you still go to a birthday party/home for Christmas.

I am starting ICSI in January too and I have thought about this a lot, I think I have decided to just not risk it and have lots of non-alcoholic alternatives, and mocktail ideas. I just know myself, and I know if it doesn't work I will be looking for things I did wrong.
DH is going to have a few drinks over Christmas. It won' t be the most merry of Christmases but I just think it is one year! I think it is personal preference though and I doubt a few drinks will actually alter the results.
I am spending it with the in-laws though so could really do with the alcohol support!