Alcohol consumption in the father reduces the success rates of IVF, which increases the stress in the couple.
- Among the techniques of medically assisted procreation (MAP), we find artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization or embryo reception.
- Couples dealing with fertility issues are under “intense emotional and financial pressure, coupled with a sense of helplessness”.
More and more, couples facing fertility problems are turning to medically assisted procreation techniques (MAP) to conceive a baby. “Despite the proven influence of male health and lifestyle choices on offspring development, research examining IVF success rates and child health outcomes remains exclusively focused on maternal factors.“, reported researchers from Texas A&M University.
How does father’s alcohol use affect IVF?
In a study published in the journal Molecular Human Production, they tried to understand how alcohol consumption in men before conception contributes to the development of birth defects and alcohol-related diseases. For this, the scientists used a mouse model. In detail, a control group represented men who did not drink alcohol and another group represented men who regularly drank alcohol. “We exposed sexually mature males to three preconception treatments for six weeks, isolated their sperm and then used these samples to fertilize oocytes before evaluating embryo development outcomes,” the team said.
FIV: “as the dose of alcohol increases, things get worse”
According to the results, the father’s alcohol consumption before conception reduced the chances of embryo survival and disrupted the expression of embryonic genes. “As the dose of alcohol increases, things get worse. (…) It really underscored that even very moderate levels of exposure had an impact on conception, implantation and overall pregnancy success rates. by IVF”, said Michael Golding, author of the research, in a statement.
“Everyone plays a role in the success of the pregnancy”
According to the authors, this study underscores the importance of delivering fertility and pre-pregnancy messages to emphasize the dangers of alcohol use for both parents, not just the mother. . “The most important aspect of this research is that it clearly shows that everyone plays a role in pregnancy success. (…) The most important thing to take away from this is that if you are a man who planning to start a family, refrain from drinking alcohol until your wife becomes pregnant”concluded Alexis Roach, author of the work.