Men who hope to become fathers in the near future may want to consider quitting alcohol. A new study finds that it takes at least one month for the effects of alcohol to leave a man's sperm. Researchers explain that this withdrawal process causes the body to overproduce certain chemicals, which can interrupt normal cellular activity and potentially lead to brain and facial defects associated with fetal alcohol syndrome.
Currently, doctors are only required to confirm that the mother has consumed alcohol to diagnose a child with fetal alcohol syndrome. However, the lead author of the study argues that it's time to include both parents in that conversation. Based on these findings, he advises men to abstain from alcohol for several months before attempting to conceive. While more research is needed to obtain a definitive answer, he notes that sperm are produced over the course of 60 days, and the withdrawal process takes at least one month. Therefore, his estimate is to wait at least three months before trying to conceive.
