What is the rule with alcohol?

[zirly]

I am on day three of my period...about to start birth control and go forward with the whole process. At what point do I REALLY have to stop drinking. I don't want to affect my eggs in any bad way, but at the same time, I enjoy a glass of wine and sine I'll (hopefully) have to give it up for nine months, when do I really have to stop drinking?

Also...how bout for the guy? When does he have to stop caffine and alcohol? How long before the "deposit" for the fertilization?

TIA!

[Annie]

Hi,
As far as I know alcohol has a negative effect on fertility but being relaxed can work wonders so i guess the answer is to cut back and try to find an altaernative way to reduce your stress levels.I tried acupuncture end exercise. It took me 5 goes but I now have a beautiful 18month old daughter and am now attempting to have her frozen sibling . apologies for any spelling mistakes but ive had a glass or two tonight ironically
ta ta annie

[samandaw1]

My doctor told me I could drink up until I started the injections (despite Luprun which I was allowed to drink). SO that was about day three of my IVF cycle.

Sam

[Xrayem]

Hi,

There is no conclusive evidence to prove that alcohol (IN MODERATION) will affect your fertility or in fact a foetus when you are pregnant. In everything I have read they suggest no more than 2 glasses of wine a week is fine (even when you are pregnant).

I am also a lover of a glass of wine and I will have the odd glass up until ovulation (ET or IUI day) and then I try not to have any during the 2ww. In each time I have ended up having half wine/half soda water once and I'm sure its fine. Everyone of my girlfriends got completely written off and then found out they had been pregnant and they had normal pregnancies.

As for males, not sure, but my DH does what I do and goes lightly when we are having tmt. And then only ever wine...never beer or spirits.

Hope this helps.

Em

[terri1]

hello

I stopped drinking while we were trying..........followed Zita West's advice. Then we suffered a bereavement and I didn't really look after myself. the month we conceived, I didn't drink around ovualtion, well very little if I did. after that I assumed it would be a bfn again so I drank almost every night during the 2ww. Only one or two drinks mind you. then I got a bfp!
I was a bit worried about the fact that I had drunk so much but everything seems fine. Obviously I stopped drinking as soon as I found out I was pregnant.
Whilst I don't think people should drink a lot while they are trying to conceive... in my case, it was helping me relax as I was going through a stressful time and it clearly didn't stop me getting pregnant. I had gotten to the point where I felt so down, I thought 'its not going to happen anyway so I'm at least going to enjoy my wine/beer'

dh had cut down but not stopped. He probably had a few beers every few nights but I think stopped while we were 'trying'

good luck
love terri

[PebblesUK]

I think it's more on the male side that the alcohol will affect anything. It lowers the sperm level.

DH cut down two weeks before EC and then stopped the week before. We thought he was being really good and really helping but then I read the other week that it wouldn't have made any difference. Only if you cut down/stop a good few months before will it make any difference.

But, as you can see, it didn't do us any harm!

[Macca8]

Hiya,

I've just had a look at the literature I was sent this week and it said no more than 1 alcohol unit per day, which would mean no more than 1 regular glass of wine a day.

I only drink about once or twice a month, never took to alcohol and never get drunk but wish I could sometimes, just to relax but my clinic advise small amounts will do no harm.

Lisa XXX

[NickiMark]

Ive totally stopped drinking, as I really want this to work and will avoid anything, to give me BFN. however, I am sure the odd glass wouldnt hurt,

MORDERATION!!! NO BINGES!!!!

Zita West says that sperm take 100 days to mature so for your fella would said 100 days!!!

x x

[AuntyPebbles]

Hey Lady's
i myself dont drink much at all but my friend is like you ladys she likes a glass of wine i know she stopped drinking fro all her 6 iuis and first ivf i think after all that she kinda gave up but tried one more ivf she kept having her wine had her last glass the night before ET ... she has twin girls so maybe the wine thined the blood enough or she was just more relaxed.. who knows but her pregnancy and babies are all fine... good luck hope to read your BFP's soon

hugs Debz

[Xrayem]

Thank you for asking this question! I feel so much better having read people getting BFP's after drinking wine (in moderation!!) throughout tmt. I believe what I wrote before but felt that I was in the minority. I Its good to see that we are all in agreement.

Em

[ogr1]

i was told that me and DH shouldn't drink or have caffeine or tobacco 3 months prior. ..

and from the research that has been sent to me and the many classes that i have gone to drinking is not good once you are pregnant. fetal alcohol syndrome is a horrid disease for children. that is 100 percent preventable..

[Lis]

Hi I am also glad someone raised this question! I have just had first iui and bfn. I love my wine. I cut down to just a couple of small ones the 2 weekend leading up to iui (with nothing during the week) then had 2 small glasses on 2 separate nights over the 17 days leading up to test date / af arriving.

I think a small amount like that does no harm. I intend to cut out completely again orhave the odd glass if I'm tempted which is this weekend. Once I do find out I have BFP I wil stop altogether.

Having said that I have worked with children with foetal alcohol syndrome and witnessed its devastaing effect s however i believe that you have to be drinking substabtial amounts over a long time to get those sort of consequences. I really don't think the odd glass from tmt to leading up to test date does any harm.

[ogr1]

How much alcohol is safe?

Medical experts agree that heavy drinking (5 or more drinks on at least one occasion) during pregnancy can severely affect a developing fetus. However, opinions differ about whether it is safe for a woman to drink a small amount of alcohol when she is pregnant. Also, it is difficult to define exactly how much alcohol is a small amount, especially when trying to account for the physical and behavioral differences between women.

In the United States, many doctors as well as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) claim that it is best that pregnant women not drink any alcohol. 1
The effects that alcohol has on a fetus depend on:

How much, how often, and at what stage of her pregnancy the mother drinks alcohol. The most severe effects often are related to heavy alcohol use (5 or more drinks on at least one occasion).
Whether the mother used other drugs, smoked, or had poor health for any reason during her pregnancy. A child who is born to a mother with this profile is at increased risk for developing problems.
Genetic traits a fetus inherits. Some fetuses are more likely to be harmed by alcohol exposure than others. The reason for this is not clear; however, there may be a genetic link.

[zirly]

Hey guys...just to clarify...I know not to drink during the two week wait or while I am preggers...Just wondering about before that during the whole IVF thing (shots, stimulation, lupron etc.) Just didn't know the rule for that. Thanx for all your thoughts.