Mommy Dearest: A Drink A Day Keeps The Sperm Away

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By Mia Bolaris-Forget

Every parent, at some point looks forward to the point where they become the dotting grandparent. But, mom's may be sabotaging their chances for grandchildren as early on as before they give birth.

According to a recent Danish study, mom's who drink alcohol during pregnancy could be putting their son's fertility in jeopardy in the womb.

The study shows the moms who drank 4.5 or more drinks weekly while expecting were lowering the sperm concentration in their male offspring. The research revealed that the sperm count 20 years after birth of sons born to drinking mothers was one third lower than in men who were not exposed to alcohol during gestation.

The experts assert that a drink is defined as 12 grams of alcohol or 330 ml can of beer or 120 ml (one small glass) or wine, or one shot (40 ml) of spirits.

Yet while the correlation was made the study was merely an observational one, and therefore could not definitively say that the alcohol was the imminent cause of a lower sperm count. However experts note that if further studies substantiate the initial finding, it could explain why sperm quality has declined in recent decades, and why it remains better in some parts of the world than in others.

The World Health Organization identifies a "normal" sperm count as being about 20 million/ml or more, but the chances of conception go up with and increased sperm count up to 40 million/m.

The study team also looked into whether a father's alcohol consumption had any bearing...but found not link.

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