How Does Alcohol Affect Sperm and Male Fertility?

male fertility alcohol consumption Alcohol Affect Sperm Jiabi Qin Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists ACOG

By Camille Hutchison , Parent Herald Sep 22, 12:22 pm

Usually, women are in the spotlight when trying to conceive, saying that there are many things women cannot do when thinking of pregnancy. An important cast in attempting to conceive is the men, who are often left out in discussions, per Give Legacy.

Over the last 35 years, evidence suggests that male fertility has declined and sperm concentration has reduced. If you and your partner are trying to conceive, think carefully about the alcoholic beverage you crack at the end of the day.

If the number of sperm a man ejaculate is low or is of poor quality, it will be hard to get pregnant. Sperm health can be influenced by certain factors such as genes, age, weight, and smoking status. It can also be affected when consuming an alcoholic beverage.

Research shows that alcohol consumption impacts sperm quality and suggests negative effects. A meta-analysis of the study entitled "Semen Quality and Alcohol Intake: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis" determined that occasional alcohol consumption does have a huge negative impact. It also has a detrimental effect on both semen volume and morphology.

Alcohol interferes with reproductive system function

Heavy drinking can affect the ability to get and maintain an erection, sex drive, and performance when trying to conceive. These issues make it hard for both couples to get pregnant. Many men think that alcohol intake won't mean much, especially in conceiving, but going alcohol-free could help your partner and make impossible things possible.

Even in moderation, drinking has a dramatic effect on one's reproductive system as it can affect hormone production and lessen semen parameters such as sperm count, motility, morphology, and concentration.

The more alcohol a man drinks regularly, the more serious the effects on sperm quality. A study entitled "Habitual Alcohol Consumption Associated with Reduced Semen Quality and Changes in Reproductive Hormones; A Cross-Sectional Study Among 1221 Young Danish Men" determined that the most significant impairment in sperm quality was found in men who regularly had more than 25 drinks per week.

Alcohol consumption has been shown to drastically lessen testosterone production and shrink the testicles. Testosterone is directly involved in nearly all parts of the male reproductive process; thus, the reduction in testosterone caused by alcohol can cause a range of additional effects such as reduced fertility, impotence, and the inability to get and maintain an erection, according to Path Fertility.

Avoiding any alcoholic beverage when conceiving

Jiabi Qin of Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China, and study author of the research entitled "Parental Alcohol Consumption and the Risk of Congenital Heart Diseases in Offspring: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis" published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, said men should not consume any alcoholic beverage for at least six months before fertilization.

Alcohol damages fertilized eggs, and it immediately begins after conception, causing harm to a fertilized egg and eventually killing the just-fertilized egg.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG) also recommend completely avoiding consuming alcohol when trying to get pregnant, Very Well Family reported.