Alcohol & Female Fertility: What’s The Impact
They say motherhood is one of the most awaited periods of a woman’s life. It changes her life and is almost like another birth physically, mentally, and emotionally. Unfortunately, for some women who want to become mothers, it remains just a dream, and that is due to infertility. While there are many reasons that women cannot conceive (including male infertility issues), consumption of intoxicants like alcohol can be a key reason too. Let’s explore this further.
Top Reasons for Female Infertility
Hormone-related disorders are the most common when it comes to infertility in women, these include Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), hyperprolactinemia, and thyroid. Other reasons could be abnormalities in the uterus such as fibroids or polyps, damaged fallopian tubes, endometriosis, pelvic adhesions, early menopause, and other medical conditions like diabetes, such as lupus, and celiac disease. Certain other risk factors such as increasing age or being over 35 years of age, obesity and higher weight, and sexually transmitted diseases also contribute.
Alcohol & Infertility[1], [2]
While most of the above factors for infertility are beyond your control, there are a few lifestyle choices you can control, namely alcohol consumption, which has been proven to go hand in hand.
It is true that a glass of wine once in a while is actually good for the heart, but exceeding the recommended guidelines can be harmful not only to the overall health but also cause infertility. There is a direct link between consuming alcohol and female infertility. Studies[1, 2] show that just one drink a day can actually affect your fertility and lower its levels. Now imagine what happens when you drink a couple or more drinks socially or have that extra glass of sangria on a girl’s night out, you might be actually sabotaging your chances of being pregnant. Here’s what happens:
- Health Issues: Alcohol is directly connected to different kinds of cancers as it contains human carcinogens, so women are more likely to get breast cancer if they drink. Additionally, it also causes the nervous system and brain damage, leading to early signs of dementia and Alzheimer’s.
- Mental Health Issues: Alcohol can be addictive and that can cause a number of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. Furthermore, even after quitting or reducing the drinks, these issues persist. They may go well into pregnancy and affect the child too.
- Issues in Conceiving: Alcohol is known to cause inflammation and weaken immunity. If you already have difficulty getting pregnant or are trying for it, a glass of wine or whiskey may make it tougher, and in some cases even impossible.
- Effect on the Fetus: Since alcohol can affect the mental state of the mother, it can severely affect the nervous system of the baby leading to learning disorders. Additionally, it can even cause physical deformities as well as long term diseases like diabetes and hypertension. In some cases, it may also need to miscarriage and damage to women’s uterus.
Most women don’t find out about their pregnancy until after a month or two, hence it is recommended to stay off alcohol completely at least six months before you plan to conceive.
References:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5504800/
2. https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(03)02717-1/fulltext