Drinking affects IVF chances

[Posted: Thu 22/10/2009 by Olivia Fens]

Drinking just a few glasses of wine each week significantly reduces the success of IVF, a new study has found.

According to the study of more than 2,500 couples, researchers from Harvard Medical School in Boston found that drinking two glasses of wine reduced a woman’s chance of falling pregnant by 18%.

While for men, drinking two strong pints of beer reduced their chance of having a child by 14%.

Furthermore, women who had between one and nine units of white wine a week were 24% less likely to have a live birth and had a 23% greater chance of failed implantation of the IVF embryo.

Men who drank a beer daily contributed to a 30% lower chance of a live birth and a 38% greater chance of failed implantation.

“In general, women should stop drinking when they are trying to achieve pregnancy,” the researchers concluded.

The study was presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference in the US this week.

Commenting on the study, Tony Rutherford, chairman of the British Fertility Society, said that the findings reinforced the advice of most experts – to drink no more than one or two drinks a week if you are worried about having a healthy baby.

“It may be that if you are trying for a baby with IVF and want to maximise your chances of success, you may want to play safe and not drink at all,” Dr Rutherford added.