If you are someone who takes pleasure in drinking alcohol, but you also want to start a family, you owe it to both your future child and your partner to give up drinking as soon as possible, even if you haven’t conceived yet.
If you are pregnant and drink alcohol, the alcohol will swiftly make its way to the developing fetus through the placenta. This happens whether you are drinking one drink or ten. The rate at which the infant is able to digest alcohol that enters its system is far slower than the rate at which the mother can do so. Because of this, the infant is subjected to potentially lethal amounts of alcohol for a significantly longer length of time. The baby’s growth and development may suffer as a result of this.
Concern for Mothers-to-be
Women who are pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or who are currently pregnant should not drink any sort of alcohol at any time during their pregnancy. It is impossible to place enough emphasis on this particular point. Medical doctors may not have a complete understanding of the exact degree to which drinking alcohol affects a couple’s odds of producing a child, but they do know that it does lower those chances. They are aware, on the other hand, that misusing alcohol and drinking an excessive amount of it might cause menstrual periods to become irregular.
They are also aware that women who drink to excess have harder trouble becoming pregnant than other women do. This information is common knowledge. If a pregnant woman continues to use alcohol during the first three months of her pregnancy, the fetus has an extremely high risk of being aborted due to the effects of the alcohol intake on the pregnant woman.
Concern for Fathers-to-be
When trying to conceive a child, it is important for men to examine their drinking habits and cut back if necessary. It is in a man’s best interest to abstain from drinking to excess because alcohol is known to destroy sperm and can result in a reduced sperm count. According to the findings of certain studies, frequent drinking might reduce a man’s fertility and perhaps temporarily render him unable to have sexual relations with a woman.
To put it another way, drinking to excess reduces your reproductive potential and makes it less likely that you will have children in the future. If you have a strong desire to start a family of your own, you should consider whether or not the potential risks are worth facing in order to fulfill that desire.
Take into consideration whether or not the possibility of not being able to have children because of your heavy drinking is genuinely worth it to you. Then you need to ask yourself if you are willing to put the future of your unborn daughter or son in peril just so that you can indulge in a habit that is harmful to your health. If the answer is yes, then you need to reconsider your position.
Healthy lifestyle and getting help
A healthy lifestyle is key to helping your fertility.
In addition to stopping drinking, or cutting your alcohol consumption, steps you can take to increase your chances of conceiving include not smoking, keeping to a healthy weight and talking to your doctor if you have a long-term health condition or are taking any regular medication.16
The NHS advises that if you’ve been trying for a baby for at least one year without success, you should contact your GP surgery for more advice. Find out more about the NHS advice if you’re trying for a baby here.
If you’re ready to change your drinking habits, why not start today? Drinkaware has tools and advice that can help:
- Find out how your drinking compares, and get ideas for Drink Free Days
