Optimizing natural fertility: review of recommendations

[gossippk10]

@okmarius Keep in mind a standard drink and what you actually get are often very different. Eg a pint is 1.7 drinks or so, and that’s only for 5% beer - things are creeping up to 6-7% in craft beers not uncommonly! A standard glass of wine is only 5 oz (4 if you’re drinking 14%) and many of us would have a heftier pour.

That said, I totally agree, 10 seems like a lot, but if you’re a daily drinker it isn’t hard to get up there quickly!

 

[emanuela]

@gossippk10 Lol, 6-7% is low for craft beers, even! Up to 10% can be found pretty easily, and I know there are a few that are higher. Wine is up to 17% typically.

 

[okmarius]

@gossippk10 Oh, I know. One 5oz glass of wine and I’m buzzed so 10 a week of those seems like a ton!

 

[gossippk10]

@okmarius Totally! I’m with you on that. It was more for those reading the thread - it’s so common to underestimate alcohol intake, especially in daily drinkers.

 

[emanuela]

@okmarius Keep in mind the amounts that constitute one drink:

• About 12oz of beer (a standard can at about 5% ABV)
• About 5oz of wine
• About 1oz liquor (I think a shot glass is about an ounce?)

A single mixed drink could be several servings worth of alcohol in one, it's pretty easy to find beers that are up to or more than 10% ABV which would count as 2-3 drinks, etc. It sounds like a lot, but when you actually break it down, it's less crazy than it seems.

Basically "drink in moderation" means "don't consistently get trashed".

 

[okmarius]

@emanuela I know. This has already been explained. 5oz of wine gets me buzzed, so 10 buzzes a week seems excessive to me.

 

[emanuela]

@okmarius I'm putting it out there as general info, not specifically at you, because most people have no clue what the amounts are.

 

[balogun]

@okmarius I thought the same thing!!

 

[gutsandgrace]

@okmarius Hahaha I know right! I have like 1-2 per month and I’ve thought about cutting that amount down.

 

[calesurf]

@okmarius I read this in the book Expecting Better. When she got into the studies, there's even evidence that up to THREE drinks per DAY may not have an effect on fertility or pregnancy, as long as they are drunk slowly enough that most of the alcohol is metabolized before making it to the growing fetus. That just seems crazy, but I guess it makes sense when she explained how alcohol metabolism works.

That being said, the author said she personally wouldn't go that high and to do what you and your doctor feel comfortable with, but she was comfortable at 1/2-1 glass per day during her pregnancy, given the evidence. Also... 3 per day is... a lot even for a non-pregnant person.

 

[clemenslee]

@okmarius Same same same. I have maybe...4?...drinks a month if that?

 

[okmarius]

@clemenslee Yeah I can’t imagine how my body would function at 10 drinks a week.

 

[katrina2017]

@okmarius I used to drink more frequently and my body functioned just fine. I had a case of 12oz pilsners (like Miller Lite) in the fridge and would have a beer with dinner, one or two while watching a movie in the evening. It's a lot harder to get drunk on beer than wine (I used to drink wine casually in the evenings -- that was playing with fire!), and it was spaced over the evening so I never got tipsy or anything.

So 2-3 drinks a day during the week, I usually went out "drinking" drinking on the weekends, so that might be 4-5 drinks a night. And, hey, that's 20 drinks a week without even breaking a sweat!

Honestly, I can't tell any difference between when I drink and when I don't drink. I still need a cup of coffee in the mornings, I still get occasional acne, my weight was normal before and after. My labs haven't changed, my fitness level hasn't changed... I save money?

 

[sisi]

@okmarius If you drink alcohol like a beverage and not like a drug, it doesn't affect how your body functions. My husband and I love craft beer and generally have one a night after dinner, a couple on weekends. I occasionally have wine instead. It's not enough to get drunk or anything. It's essentially our dessert, and I figure the amount of sugar in a dessert is arguably worse for you. Feels pretty moderate to me.

 

[badsector]

@mcg1102 This is amazing, thank you for putting it together!

 

[aaroncito]

@mcg1102 I love the wording of Schrodinger's Pregnancy: before ovulation you are emphatically not pregnant. After a positive test you are emphatically pregnant. In between.......

 

[chey2dachey]

@mcg1102 You had me at sex death march. 10/10

 

[s3anreilly]

@chey2dachey I am more for chastity play in am afraid XD bit this had me giggling on a bad day

 

[woedude]

@mcg1102 Devbio Proving again why you’re the MVP

 

[f1shsauce]

@mcg1102 As always, thank you for everything you do for this community. I can't tell you how much of a data person I am and every time I see you answer a question, you go out of your way to link to a paper or study to help support what you're saying. Keep up the amazing job as always!