All of us
know that drinking alcohol is injurious to our health in many ways. As
infertility rates in India are increasing at a rapid pace; sedentary lifestyle,
age factor, hereditary diseases etc are the main causes behind it. We have to
wonder if regular alcohol consumption may have a role in you being infertile.
Alcoholic beverages contain a lot of sugar and excessive sugar consumption
decreases fertility by contributing to hormonal imbalance, insulin resistance,
yeast infection, vitamin and mineral deficiency and lowered immunity. All of
which may impair fertility for both men and women.
Now let’s see
how alcohol consumption affects the fertility in both sexes:
Female
infertility & alcohol:
For women,
drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can have a negative impact on ovulation
and menstrual cycles, which is essential for conception. Alcohol also depletes
the body of vital vitamins and minerals and we know, we need good levels of
nutrition to make a healthy embryo and baby.
You just
cannot limit the consumption to 1 or 2 glasses, if you're planning to try for a
baby, then I would rather suggest to quitting alcohol completely.
Male
fertility & alcohol:
Studies have
shown that consuming excessive amounts of alcohol lowers testosterone levels
Couples
planning to try for a baby should ideally abstain from alcohol for a few months
before attempting to conceive, since sperm needs at least three months to
mature.
Alcohol and
pregnancy:
Drinking
alcohol during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, premature birth and
your baby having a low birth weight or preterm birth. It may well affect your
babies' health after they're born as when you drink, the alcohol crosses from
your bloodstream through the placenta directly into your baby's blood.
