Alcohol, sperm and fertility. Does it matter if he drinks?

There is a growing body of research on the impacts of women drinking alcohol in preconception – the elephant in the room of course is that preconception care isn’t just for eggs, so the question should be addressed, does alcohol impact sperm health, and does it have any clinical relevance?

New research - ‘Impact of Alcohol Consumption on Male Fertility Potential: A Narrative Review’

This recently published review addresses the impact of alcohol on semen parameters based on evidence from animal and human studies.   

A brief summary of their main findings:

1.     Animal studies and some human studies have shown heavy drinking has a negative impact on male reproductive hormone levels

2.     Human studies found alcohol negatively impacted sperm count, volume and morphology

3.     A dose dependent relationship was established with semen volume and concentration – meaning the more a man drank, the worse his semen results were. Conversely, the less a man consumed, the better his sperm results.

4.     Higher DNA fragmentation in high alcohol users. 

 

Why you might be told it doesn’t matter

Interesting - and not addressed in this particular paper, but some argue that these findings are not clinically relevant, so unless sperm parameters are below average, it isn’t worth changing drinking habits. Here’s why;

While women and those with eggs get one precious egg per cycle, men have literally millions of sperm every time they ejaculate (it would be at least somewhat reasonable if women dropped an egg with every orgasm – a Ted Talk for another day).  Keeping this in mind, a statistically significant impact on sperm may appear to not have a practical impact. As an example, a sperm count of a healthy 200 million per ml could drop by HALF and would still be a healthy 100million per ml, giving power to the idea that it doesn’t really matter, as long as sperm counts fall into the category of ‘average’

The crucial impact of paternal alcohol intake on offspring

Very importantly, preconception care is not just about the ability to become pregnant but also about doing all you can for the health of future offspring.  The review referred to a number of studies which show a correlation between heavy paternal alcohol use and higher incidence of pathology in offspring, including: 

  • psychopathological disorders

  • congenital heart defects

  • cancer

  • changes to the child’s reproductive development

Is there still more to consider?

Well I believe there is.  Many of the women we work with are doing everything they possibly can to increase their chances of a becoming pregnant, having a smooth pregnancy and delivering a healthy baby.  In a couple or partnership this responsibility shouldn’t be one sided. It’s easier to stick to good habits with a good wingman, and every person trying to conceive should help shoulder the emotional load of fertility.

Practical steps

If you’re finding cutting down on drinking hard, check out this article with 3 practical tips for guys - written by a guy. If you still want more about sperm health you can check out this article here for more simple actions.

 

I am a man, I am trying to conceiveJenna Mcdonald