One of my clients invited me to her Halloween party this weekend.

It was like a college party but for grown-ups.  Keg of beer, jello shots, great music – so much fun!

She prefaced the invitation with “Don’t judge me!” since she was planning on partaking in what she was providing – the alcohol.

Kudos to her for owning up to drinking that night.  After that, she’ll dry out in preparation for her frozen embryo transfer.

Realistically, it’s not about attaining perfection.  It’s about having the right info so you can make better choices.  80/20 rule.  Do it well 80% of the time so you can have a little fun the other 20%.

What’s amusing is how clients justify alcohol when trying to get pregnant.

But they don’t do that with harmful habits like recreational drugs, smoking, sugar, excessive caffeine, etc.

Probably because it’s confusing with messages about how drinking moderately can actually be good for you, your longevity, and your heart health.

Ooookkkaaayyyy.

I dunno.  There are less controversial ways to attain these goals.  Hmm, exercise, eating unprocessed foods, stress reductions, to name a few.

I pretty much think any purported benefits of alcohol are a load of crock.  I really can’t imagine how the sugar, chemicals, and burden on the liver can be good for anyone.

And they certainly don’t apply to the “trying to get pregnant” group.

In fact, a review of 119 studies that used data from 12 million women worldwide found that just 10 grams of alcohol per day – which is the equivalent of one small glass of wine, beer or other alcohol – is linked to an increased breast cancer risk of 5% for pre-menopausal women.

That’s because alcohol disrupts hormonal regulation, in women AND men.  It’s a source of foreign estrogen from the chemicals sprayed on the grapes or grains.  It can also increase testosterone conversion to estrogen.  Neither of which are good for your fertility.

Bottom line – do your best to abstain from alcohol when trying to get pregnant.

Because if it’s something you wouldn’t do when pregnant, why would you do it as you’re trying to GET pregnant?

Remember to mark your calendar for my next FB Live on Thursday Oct 25 at 10am PST on FB page (@juliechangfertility). I’m going to talk about the most important test your male partner should get done – the semen analysis.  If your partner has one less than 1 year old, have it handy during the training.  Don’t worry if you can’t make it live – it’ll be recorded.  In fact, I recommend you watch it with your male partner.

All my best,
Julie Chang, L.Ac.
Natural Fertility Eggspurt