NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Alcohol consumption, even in small amounts, can reduce a woman's chance of conceiving
by more than 50%, according to researchers in Maryland.
``There is strong biologic evidence to support the idea that it's not a good thing to drink while attempting
conception,'' Dr. Rosemarie B. Hakim of the Health Care Financing Administration told Reuters Health. ``Despite
this, epidemiologic studies have not been able to detect an effect.''
In an attempt to clarify this issue, Hakim and colleagues in Baltimore examined the effects of alcohol and caffeine
consumption and other factors on fertility in 124 healthy women. The participants provided daily information on
alcohol and caffeine intake and urine samples for measurement of reproductive hormones.
``Consistent with other research, smoking drastically reduced fertility in our sample,'' Hakim and her team
write in the October issue of Fertility and Sterility. Because of this strong effect, the researchers only examined
the relationship between alcohol, caffeine and fertility in the 98 study participants who were nonsmokers.
The likelihood of conception dropped by more than 50% during a menstrual cycle during which women reported drinking
alcohol in any amount, the researchers found. Drinking more than one cup of coffee or other caffeinated beverage
per day also appeared to have a small negative effect on fertility.
``Women who abstained from alcohol and consumed less than one cup of coffee or its equivalent per day conceived
26.9 pregnancies per 100 menstrual cycles compared with 10.5 per 100 menstrual cycles among those who consumed
any alcohol and more than one cup of coffee per day,'' the authors say in their report.
Hakim added in an interview that the conception rate among women who smoked was only 6.3 per 100 menstrual cycles
and the rate among women who drank alcohol but did not smoke or drink caffeine was 16.6 per 100 menstrual cycles.
``Few studies have shown an independent effect of alcohol on conception,'' the researchers explain. Others have
demonstrated no association between the two. However, Hakim and her team write, ``The body of animal and human
research on the toxic effects of alcohol on reproduction supports our findings.''
The authors recommend that ``women attempting to conceive should be encouraged to abstain from alcohol and reduce
their caffeine consumption.'' According to Hakim, abstinence should begin ``as soon as couples, especially those
with fertility problems, start 'trying'.''
SOURCE: Fertility and Sterility 1998;70:632-637.
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