April 20, 2021, 5:48 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
When men with a desire to have children drink alcohol before conception, the risk of birth defects in the baby increases by 35 percent. This is the result of an observational study involving more than half a million couples. Staying sober together is worth it!
It is now common knowledge that women who want to become pregnant should avoid their evening glass of wine. But men with a desire to have children should also hold back on alcohol until conception. According to the latest findings, regular alcohol consumption—even in moderate amounts—leads to sperm anomalies. These could promote birth defects such as cleft palates, heart diseases, or malformed or missing limbs in the newborn.
Alcohol and the Desire for Children in Men–A New Field of Research
While the link between alcohol consumption and birth defects in women is considered well-researched, the research in this area for men is still in its infancy. Women should, of course, not touch a drop during pregnancy, and men ideally should abstain six months prior. A Chinese study, recently published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, comes to the sobering conclusion that even one drink per week can impair sperm quality, increasing the risk of fetal malformations.
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Study with 529,090 Couples
The researchers surveyed 529,090 couples who wanted to become pregnant within six months. Of the participating fathers-to-be, 364,939 reported drinking no alcohol or only on one day per week. The remaining 164,151 men had a more pronounced drinking behavior. Subsequently, the reported birth defects were evaluated.
Among fathers who regularly consumed wine, beer, and the like, there were 363 birth defects. Among the abstinent fathers, there were 246 birth defects. This results in a 35 percent higher rate among men who drank alcohol. Furthermore, babies had a 55 percent higher likelihood of developing cleft palates if their father regularly drank before conception.
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How a Father’s Negative Psyche Can Affect His Child’s Development
How One Month Without Alcohol Affects the Body
Abstinent Men Father Healthier Babies
According to the study report, there is much to suggest that paternal drinking before conception can damage sperm and increase the likelihood of birth defects. However, it is still unclear why paternal drinking damages the genetic material. A review of 55 studies in 2020 came to a similar conclusion. It showed that babies of heavy-drinking fathers were born with heart defects more often than average.
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Another Study Suggests Three Months of Abstinence for Healthier Sperm
Studies like these highlight that the desire for children is genuine teamwork, with abstinence rules apparently applying equally to both partners. However, the “6-month rule” proposed in the study should not be taken too strictly. It is also well-researched that sperm take about three months to fully recover. The same applies to the female egg. Thus, abstaining from alcohol, nicotine, and other toxins pays off after just a quarter of a year.