Drinking

[hollyw79]

Ok... so as some of you may have read.. Dh and I are going to have to pursue IUI starting in Jan. bc of DH's high abnormal sperm and low count. When we found this out- he stopped drinking.. not that he ever drank a lot- maybe a few beers 2 times a week... but anyway- he's drinking some NOW and I am sooo tempted to be upset. Will a few beers be a bad thing? I mean- I feel like we need to do EVERYTHING in our power to keep his sperm @ optimal health.. and any drinking should be avoided especially considering all that we are about to go through. Am I wrong to be bothered or should I relax with it just being one or 2 beers??

 

[DingleyDell]

As long as he doesnt drink that much every night, our ivf clinic said 3 or 4 a week was ok but my dh's sperm is ok.. i would presume that with his not being as you would both hope them to be that he shouldnt be drinking but you have to think that its probably a big shock to him deep down about it, i know you said he stopped straight after you both found out but you probably need to have a chat about it and to see how he is ?? you said you are going to start in jan, is it later in the month or begining?? obviously christmas is nearly here and it would be nice for the both of you to have a nice one and to celebrate it xx if its later in the month he'd be ok as long as he cleans his system out before you go

 

[hollyw79]

Thanks Dingley Dell... I honestly wouldn't care if his SA came back ok- but it didn't... and I am about to start fertility medication (even though everything is fine on my end) to improve the odds... so it just seems like a little bit of a contradiction for him to do something that takes any bit away from that. I OF COURSE think it's a different story for Christmas or a holiday or out with friends.. but I feel differently about it if it's just a night @ home watching TV. What he does today affects his sperm 2-3 months from now.. and he is already on medication regularly for something which even though may NOT be adding to it- you never know.

We will probably do the IUI first week of January I am guessing! I am excited about it ... our first try!

 

[Naaxi]

I wouldn't worry about a drink here and there, but I'd probably be annoyed if it was more than that. Though the process can be a long and hard one, once in a while you need to relax. I think the stress might affect it more than actually drinking, bbut I dunno. Maybe talk to him about your concerns, he may just be so used to having a drink while watching tv that he doesn't really notice it, or think about it.

 

[DaisyJump]

I would be livid!
And I am!!! I've been away for the weekend and found out that hubby hasn't taken his supliments and has been drinkin.
We're startin IVF in Jan due to poor sperm. Got told to stop drinkin 3 month prior to egg collection as sperm is produce every 3 months so yep I would say for hin to stop.
In my opinion, yes it is nice to have a drink and relax but I think it would be better to have a successful IVF treatment!
But men are just ridiculous.
This his his time to be eat sensible and think about the the pregnancy ( yours will obviously be when your pregnant. What would he do if you started drinkin once ur preggers?

 

[hollyw79]

Naaxi~ that was my fear.. about the stress and my concern for that too in the way I reacted to him having a drink.

DaisyJump~ I agree with you... what you wrote is actually how I STARTED the conversation with him.. like "would you care if I drank if I was pregnant right now????" I just felt it was unfair that I'm about to subjected to drugs and such so we should be doing all that we can.

 

[Naaxi]

I don't feel that you should be livid. Boys just don't think the way we do, I doubt he thinks that what he does today will affect his sperm in 3 months, even when the doc says it. It's too hard for them to grasp.

 

[RayeAnne]

I would be livid!
And I am!!! I've been away for the weekend and found out that hubby hasn't taken his supliments and has been drinkin.
We're startin IVF in Jan due to poor sperm. Got told to stop drinkin 3 month prior to egg collection as sperm is produce every 3 months so yep I would say for hin to stop.
In my opinion, yes it is nice to have a drink and relax but I think it would be better to have a successful IVF treatment!
But men are just ridiculous.
This his his time to be eat sensible and think about the the pregnancy ( yours will obviously be when your pregnant. What would he do if you started drinkin once ur preggers?

I couldnt agree with you MORE. I honestly dont give guys much credit when it comes to infertility. They just dont get it. We have been doing IUI's for 6 months now, and have come across many roads with my DH. No more smoking (he didnt smoke much anyway), no more drinking (unless it's a holiday party/birthday celebration). But my expectation is you do everything I do. Why do we have to do all the work? News flash: We need healthy sperm in order to produce a baby! I'm doing my part 100%, I expect you to do yours. period.

 

[lurdes777]

If your husband's sperm count is normal, then doctor says 2-3 drink per week is perfectly fine. I was stressing about him drinking all through the holiday season - he was drinking 2-3 times a week, but not only few beers, but hard stuff like vodka. Last time he drank was on January 1st and we went for IUI on January 3rd - his SA was perfect. After that I stopped stressing out.

One thing that I am religious about is his supplements - he takes a few:

L-Carnitie
CoQ10
Mens multi

I remind him every day for the past 6 month. I do think that it contributed to his very good counts and motility.

 

[rachelle1975]

Hey

I wouldn't stress too much at him.

My DH has very low count and abnormal forms - he's done cutting down alcohol (he also doesn't drink much) and he also takes vitamins every day - not to mention the fact he has already feels that the IVF is 'his fault'.

Our consultant said that only excessive drinking could affect sperm count and that a couple of beers a week would not make any difference - she went on to say that stress is a very high factor and if a couple of beers/glasses of wine a week make both couples feel less stressed, then it is a better thing - it's all about being sensible and not making the situation even harder for both of you.

Good luck

 

[DillyC]

I understand you must be feeling upset Holly.... I would have been the same.... My OH gave up alcohol completely for 3 months prior to our IVF (we both did, thought I had better support him!) It was totally his decision as his count was ridiculously low.... less than 1mil/ml.

The reason I am saying this is that his count at on ICSI day was the worst ever!!! 350,000 per ml. So I agree with the others I don't think a little bit of alcohol will do any harm at all... far more important to get the supplements in full swing and they will make a difference to quality. Reducing stress is really important.... so if a beer here and there helps that then its probably a good thing x

GOOD LUCK XX

 

[MariaF]

My DH had super count and motility but quite poor morphology. So he cut down o. The alcohol down to about 3 drinks a week and the next SA 6 weeks later showed morphology has improved by more than double! So im a strong beliver alcohol has a direct impact on sperm quality.

Saying that both DH and i still have an occasional drink even during this IUI cy le because being stressed id also not great and wine definitely helps we unwind

 

[harrypinto11]

Alcohol is a drug, and it is the drug most abused by teens. Drinking alcohol is dangerous for kids and teens and sometimes for adults, too. One example for that like My neighbour had bad habit of drinking and he died with his bad habit of drinking.