Does Timing Your Alcohol Intake Matter When You're Trying to Conceive?

If you're trying to conceive, you’ve probably wondered whether alcohol is something you need to cut out completely, or whether when you drink could make a difference.

A study I think is particularly interesting looked at whether alcohol intake during different stages of the menstrual cycle was associated with the likelihood of conception.

The researchers followed 413 women aged 19-41, who recorded their daily alcohol intake and were followed for up to 19 months.

And the findings were interesting…

What did they find?

The researchers looked at alcohol intake during different phases of the menstrual cycle and measured fecundability, essentially, the probability of conception during a menstrual cycle.

During the luteal phase, both moderate drinking (3-6 drinks per week) and heavier drinking (>6 drinks per week) were associated with lower fecundability compared with no drinking.

Around ovulation, drinking more than 6 drinks per week was also associated with lower fecundability.

They also looked at binge drinking and found that each additional day of binge drinking was associated with lower fecundability during the ovulatory and luteal phases.

Interestingly, they didn't find meaningful differences between beer, wine and spirits, the type of alcohol didn't appear to change the association.

But before you panic about that glass of wine…

There are some really important caveats here.

This was an observational study, so we can't say that alcohol caused the reduction in fecundability. There may have been other differences between people who drank more and those who didn't that influenced the results.

The data were also collected between 1990 and 1994, and the study included just 413 women. Alcohol intake was self-reported, and the researchers didn't assess alcohol consumption by the male partners. The authors also highlighted the possibility of residual confounding.

So this isn't a study that confirms causation. And we can't say alcohol was the only factor that impacted conception. 

But, does timing matter?

This study does raise an interesting possibility that the timing of alcohol intake within the menstrual cycle may be relevant, particularly around ovulation and during the luteal phase.

But it's one piece of evidence within a much bigger picture, rather than a reason to micromanage every drink based on where you are in your cycle.

If you're TTC, you don't need to panic because you had a glass of wine.

But if you want to optimise your chances, reducing or avoiding alcohol is one of the lifestyle factors I'd consider.

And importantly, this doesn't have to come from a place of fear or perfectionism.

Small, consistent changes are better than trying to be perfect.

There are so many things about fertility that we can't control.

Rather than becoming anxious about every individual choice, I'd much rather focus on the lifestyle factors that are within your control and build sustainable habits that support your health over time. For example, choose quality over quantity when it comes to alcohol. One lovely biodynamic glass of wine is a better choice than a bottle of cheap wine.

Remember that you don't need to be perfect or panic about what you've already done. And you don't need to spend the two-week wait analysing every single thing you've eaten or drunk.

Small, consistent changes can be far more useful than striving for fertility perfection.

The research 📚

Anwar MY, Marcus M, Taylor KC. The association between alcohol intake and fecundability during menstrual cycle phases. Human Reproduction. 2021;36(9):2538–2548. PMID: 34102671.