Does Alcohol Affect Your Chances of Getting Pregnant? A Look at How Alcohol Impacts Egg Quality

Around the world, as many as 1 in 6 adults experience infertility. If you’re struggling with fertility, you may be curious as to what steps you can take to improve your chances of conceiving. 

One of the more common questions is: Does drinking alcohol affect your ability to become pregnant? Let’s take a look.

How does alcohol affect egg quality?

A number of studies have looked at the impact of alcohol on fertility. Studies in animals have demonstrated that long-term alcohol use can prevent healthy maturation of eggs or oocytes. 

But in humans, more studies have looked at how alcohol might affect fertility, not always specifically egg quality. One human study suggests that alcohol use can cause changes in the way that eggs mature. But, on the other hand, a separate study didn’t find that social drinking affects egg development. More research is needed to be sure.

Does it affect the egg collection process?

In women seeking fertility treatments, alcohol can decrease the number of oocytes that are harvested — as much as 13% fewer. It can also make it harder to achieve a successful pregnancy. This relationship may be dependent on the amount of alcohol consumed. A more recent study found that women who are social drinkers (no more than one or two drinks a week) had only slightly fewer eggs of slightly less quality.

How does alcohol affect your overall chances of getting pregnant? 

While small amounts of alcohol may not have a significant impact on egg quality and number, it can decrease your chance of becoming pregnant. But it’s not exactly clear why. Scientists have tried to better understand the factors that contribute to fertility, but these studies are far from perfect. Many studies are observational, meaning that they watch or observe people’s habits over time. This can make it difficult to understand confounding factors like caffeine or tobacco use. In other words, it can be hard to determine if other habits besides alcohol consumption may also be affecting infertility. 

There’s data to suggest, however, that the more alcohol that’s consumed, the harder it is to get pregnant. For women undergoing fertility treatments, they were 7% less likely to become pregnant if they drank more than 84 g of alcohol a week (about 6 drinks a week). In another study, if both partners drank more than four drinks a week, their chance of successful fertility treatment decreased by 21%. Let’s take a look at why that is.

How else does alcohol affect fertility? 

Alcohol can affect the body in a number of ways and that can make it harder for someone to become pregnant and carry to term. It’s important to note that there may be ways that researchers don’t fully recognize or understand yet. 

Hormonal changes

Alcohol has been shown to change the balance of hormones in women. It can cause irregular periods, which can make it harder to determine when ovulation is occurring. You have the best chance of becoming pregnant when you’re ovulating (the time that an egg is released from the ovary). 

EXPERT PICKS: WHAT TO READ NEXT

• The nuts and bolts of fertility. Learn about testing, treatments, and more. 

• Age and egg quality. Is there such a thing as “too old” to have a baby?

• Quitting drinking. There are many reasons to consider stopping drinking, but how do you go about it? These tips can help.

If an egg is fertilized by sperm and becomes an embryo, it still needs to grow and implant (or attach) to the uterus. Hormonal changes caused by alcohol consumption can make it harder for the embryo to mature and implant.

Miscarriage

Multiple studies have shown that drinking alcohol during pregnancy increases risk of miscarriage. Evidence suggests that the more alcohol that’s consumed, the higher the chance of miscarrying.

Can you drink alcohol while trying to conceive?

As mentioned, it can be harder to get pregnant if you’re drinking alcohol. Your hormone levels may make it harder to predict your ovulating window and harder for an embryo to implant. All of these factors can decrease your chances for a successful pregnancy. To give yourself the best shot of conceiving, it’s best to stop drinking when you want to become pregnant.

Frequently asked questions

Why trust our experts?

Written by:

Jill L. Jaimes, MD

Jill L. Jaimes, MD, is a board-certified pediatric emergency medicine physician with over 20 years of clinical experience. She received her medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine and completed her residency and fellowship training at Texas Children’s Hospital.

Edited by:

Katie E. Golden, MD

Katie E. Golden, MD, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and a medical editor at GoodRx.

Reviewed by:

Mandy Armitage, MD

Mandy Armitage, MD, has combined her interests in clinical medicine with her passion for education and content development for many years. She served as medical director for the health technology companies HealthLoop (now Get Well) and Doximity.

Our editorial standards

Meet our experts