What You Should Know About Alcohol and Recreational Drugs and Their Effects on Fertility By Maria Antonopoulos

Before you actually get pregnant, it's a good idea to evaluate what your lifestyle habits are. While doing things in moderation is a good motto to have, there are actually some things that you want to totally eliminate if you are trying to get pregnant. Drinking alcohol or using recreational drugs are two things you definitely want to eliminate if you are trying to get pregnant. The following are some things that you need to know about alcohol and recreational drug use and their effects on your fertility and chances of getting pregnant.

• Most people are now aware that drinking during pregnancy can increase the risk of birth defects. There's also lots of evidence that women who consume a significant amount of alcohol (more than ten drinks per week) prior to conception have a more difficult time conceiving.
• A Danish study of 430 couples between the ages of 20 and 35 trying to conceive for the first time, revealed that women who continued to drink one to five alcoholic beverages per week were 39% less likely to get pregnant within six months compared to women who consumed no alcohol. Those women who consumed six to ten drinks per week were 45% less likely to get pregnant and women who drank more than ten drinks per week were 66% less likely to conceive. This is almost certainly because alcohol alters estrogen and progesterone levels which in turn can cause problems with ovulation.
• Men should also be aware of their alcohol consumption because it can affect the quality of sperm as well as lower testosterone which is necessary for sperm production.
• Recreational drugs, besides having a negative impact on your ability to conceive, can also have some serious effects on your fetus's development once you are pregnant. It is highly recommended that drug use be stopped at least two to three months prior to conception for women and three to six months prior to conception for men.
• How can marijuana and cocaine affect your fertility? Well, both marijuana and cocaine use can lower sperm count in men. Marijuana can also lower the amount of testosterone which is necessary for normal sperm production. Cocaine use can result in an increase in the amount of abnormal sperm.
• In women, marijuana smoking can result in an increase in the number of abnormal eggs. Additionally, studies have found that the presence of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in the woman's reproductive fluids made it more difficult for the partner's sperm to reach the egg. It is believed that THC harms the sperm's biological pathway to the woman's eggs. Cocaine can cause menstrual irregularities which could make it more difficult to conceive.
• Men should also stay away from anabolic steroids (drugs that build muscle mass), because these steroids suppress the body's ability to make testosterone. This damage can actually be permanent.

Alcohol or recreational drugs are not the only unhealthy habits that can affect your ability to conceive. There are many other factors that should be taken into consideration especially if trying to conceive has been a challenge. If getting pregnant naturally is important to you, but you have been confused about what is the best way to go about it, then all you may need is some easy to follow, step by step guidance to make sure that you haven't overlooked anything. This guide to getting pregnant naturally can be found at the website http://naturalfertilitysolutions.info/

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