Does alcohol intake really affect fertility? How much alcohol is safe for me? What are the effects of alcohol on the growing fetus during pregnancy? These are questions commonly encountered in various clinics in clinical practice. Alcohol as we all know is harmful to the body when taken in large quantities. Its adverse effects may be seen immediately after consumption of large volume or chronic adverse effects that manifest years after prolong and consistent consumption of alcohol. To answer the question, ‘YES’, alcohol does affect fertility and it affects both men and women. For conception to take place, both partners must be fertile. Alcohol leads to infertility by reducing the concentration of circulating sexual hormones (hypogonadism). In this article we will look at the various ways alcohol affects fertility in men and in women.
Female fertility and Alcohol
Several studies carried out have shown that woman who drink heavily have decreased fertility from higher rates of ovulation failure, disorders of menstruation and the suppression of female reproductive hormones that modulates the ovarian cycle. Excessive alcohol consumption damages the liver causing and alteration in receptors needed to activate/ metabolize the female reproductive hormones. These receptors are also found in the ovaries and there are responsible for the stimulation of the ovaries for ovulation to take place. It is also important to note that alcohol does not only affect the ability to conceive in women, it also increases the risk of spontaneous miscarriages, preterm labour, low birth weight babies, premature separation of the placenta from the uterus, intrauterine fetal death, birth defects and fetal alcohol syndrome. Alcohol via different mechanisms affects fertility in females. In addition to the disruption in receptors and hormonal deregulation, excessive alcohol intake affects nutritional status. Chronic alcoholics have lower levels of folate, vitamin B, vitamin E, and other essential micronutrients like zinc, magnesium needed for the proper functioning of the menstrual cycle.
Male fertility and Alcohol
As earlier mentioned, both partners have a role to play in fertility. Sperms are produced by the testis by direct stimulation from testosterone secreted by the pituitary gland in the brain. Excessive alcohol consumption disrupts the effect of testosterone on the testis from increase metabolism by the liver and desensitization of the testes to testosterone. In addition to this, it also leads to anxiety, depression with social withdrawal which can cause erectile dysfunction in men. For the production of healthy sperm cells, adequate nutrition is essential. Nutrients e.g. folate, molybdenum, zinc, vitamins and magnesium obtained from nutrition which is severely impaired in men who drink alcohol leads to the production of unhealthy and defective sperms. Alcohol reduces sperm count, increases the number of defective sperms, and decreases the motility of sperm cells/ their ability to swim in the female reproductive tract to fertilize the ovum.
Waiting until when you are trying to conceive before giving up on alcohol may not be the best because of the damage it may have already caused on your reproductive system. As a general rule, it is advised to take little or no alcohol to reduce possible adverse effects associated with chronic alcoholism.
Special credit:
http://stepstorecovery.com/effects-alcohol-fertility/
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http://www.leastening.com
