Just recently, I was approached by one of my friends regarding egg freezing. She is in her early 20s and was wondering if the occasional drink and smoke would have any impact on her fertility potential.
I'll start with an anecdote that has occurred on multiple cases in the lab. On a day of an egg retrieval, a seemingly healthy patient underwent the procedure and her eggs were obtained. when our laboratory director started performing the ICSI injection, he asked whether the patient was a heavy drinker or smoker. From what the patient had mentioned previously and our judgments we all responded with a "no she seems quite healthy". Our director then proceeded with showing us what her eggs looked like. They were all very dark in color and were of very poor quality. He mentioned that from his experience and the looks of things, it pointed to the direction that the patient in fact was a heavy drinker and smoker. Our suspicions were confirmed when the patient finally admitted to drinking and smoking on a regular basis. The fertilization for this patient was delayed and embryo quality was compromised. As for freezing eggs that have been exposed greatly to the effects of alcohol and smoking, the survival rate after the thawing process is much lower than healthy eggs. The subsequent fertilization and growth may also be impaired. Now just like all science, there may be exceptions in people conceiving without any problems even thought they consume alcohol excessively and smoke on a regular basis. However, this is not the case for most people and it is best to avoid it.
I wanted to share the hands-on experience we've had with the effects of alcohol on female fertility mostly because there is not a lot of well-documented studies that have been published. It is common practice for a physician to suggest low alcohol consumption but the science behind how alcohol directly affects egg quality and the pathways involved have not yet been discovered. There are many studies suggesting the negative effects mostly based on qualitative observations. More research is being conducted to find the cause and exact pathways involved. For now, it's a good idea to reduce alcohol consumption and smoking to a minimum.
Same goes for male fertility, excessive alcohol consumption and smoking directly affects sperm. It reduces sperm count, sperm motility, sperm morphology and sperm progression, basically negatively affecting all the qualities of a healthy sperm. Now since, sperm production occurs every 3 months, it is easier for men to reverse the effects of drinking and smoking more so than it is for women. With a reduction in drinking and smoking along with the use of vitamins and a healthy lifestyle, men ma be able to restore the essential qualities of sperm that were compromised.
Just like many other negative health outcomes, yes alcohol does impact fertility. The effects are more severely seen when alcohol is consumed excessively. We all need a drink here and there as life stresses us out, but it is definitely worth to think twice about having that extra drink.
