Effects of alcohol consumption on plasma and urinary hormone concentrations in premenopausal women. Alcohol and Difficulty Conceiving in the SUN Cohort: A Nested Case-Control Study Cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and caffeine intake and fecundability. Moderate drinking: no impact on female fecundity. Talk is cheap: measuring drinking outcomes in clinical trials. alcohol, smoking, and caffeine in relation to fecundability, with effect modification by NAT2. Estimation of the frequency of involuntary infertility on a nation-wide basis. Predictors of pregnancy and live birth after insemination in couples with unexplained or male-factor infertility. Does moderate alcohol intake reduce fecundability? A European multicenter study on infertility and subfecundity. European Study Group on Infertility and Subfecundity. Alcohol consumption and fecundability: prospective Danish cohort study Seeking medical help for subfecundity: a study based upon surveys in five European countries. Effects of alcohol consumption on female fertility during an 18-year period. Caffeinated and Alcoholic Beverage Intake in Relation to Ovulatory Disorder Infertility Alcohol and caffeine consumption and decreased fertility.
BACKGROUND Most epidemiologic studies of the relationship between alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk  over the past decade have shown that persons who consume a moderate amount of alcohol are at 40%-100 % greater risk of breast cancer than those who do not consume alcohol . Dose-response effects have been observed , but no causal relationship has been established . PURPOSE This study examines the hypothesis that alcohol consumption affects levels of reproductive hormones . METHODS A controlled-diet study lasting for six consecutive menstrual cycles was conducted . Participants were r and omly assigned to two groups , and a crossover design was used . During the last three menstrual cycles , alcohol consumption of the two groups was reversed . Thirty-four premenopausal women , aged 21 - 40 years , with a history of regular menstrual cycles , consumed 30 g of ethanol ( equivalent to approximately two average drinks ) per day for three menstrual cycles and no alcohol for the other three . All food and alcohol consumed were provided by the study . Caloric intake was monitored to ensure that each woman would maintain body weight at approximately the baseline level . Hormone assays were performed on pooled plasma or 24-hour urine specimens collected during the follicular ( days 5 - 7 ) , peri-ovulatory ( days 12 - 15 ) , and mid-luteal ( days 21 - 23 ) phases of the third menstrual cycle for subjects on each diet . RESULTS Alcohol consumption was associated with statistically significant increases in levels of several hormones . Plasma dehydroepi and rosterone sulfate levels were 7.0 % higher in the follicular phase ( P = .05 ) . In the peri-ovulatory phase , there were increases of 21.2 % ( P = .01 ) in plasma estrone levels , 27.5 % ( P = .01 ) in plasma estradiol levels , and 31.9 % ( P = .009 ) in urinary estradiol levels . In the luteal phase , urinary estrone levels rose 15.2 % ( P = .05 ) , estradiol levels increased 21.6 % ( P = .02 ) , and estriol levels rose 29.1 % ( P = .03 ) . No changes were found in the percent of bioavailable estradiol , defined by the sum of percent free estradiol and percent albumin-bound estradiol . However , increased total estradiol levels in the peri-ovulatory phase suggest elevated absolute amounts of bioavailable estradiol . CONCLUSION This study has shown increases in total estrogen levels and amount of bioavailable estrogens in association with alcohol consumption in premenopausal women . IMPLICATION This possible explanatory mechanism for a positive association between alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk merits further investigation The role of alcohol on fertility remains unclear . We aim ed to investigate the association between alcohol and specific alcoholic beverages consumption and the risk of difficulty getting pregnant . We used a case-control study nested within the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra ( SUN ) cohort , a prospect i ve , dynamic and multi purpose cohort of 21,705 Spanish university graduates , followed biennially with mailed question naires . We identified 686 case-control pairs , matched for age and time in the cohort . Cases were women reporting difficulty getting pregnant . Controls did not consult due to difficulty conceiving and had at least one child during follow-up . After adjustment for potential confounders , we found no association between self-reported difficulty getting pregnant and the number of alcoholic beverages consumed per week , ( Odds Ratio [ OR ] > 5 drinks/week vs. none = 1.04 , 95 % Confidence Interval [ CI ] = 0.72–1.51 ) . No association between types of alcoholic beverage and difficulty conceiving  ( OR > 5 drinks of wine/week vs. none = 1.16 , 95 % CI = 0.72–1.88 ; OR > 5 drinks of beer/week vs. none = 1.06 , 95 % CI = 0.82–1.37 ; OR > 5 drinks of spirits/week vs. none = 1.24 , 95 % CI = 0.84–1.64 ) was observed . In conclusion , we found no association between alcohol intake and risk of consulting a physician due to difficulty conceiving . More studies are needed to clearly eluci date the effects of alcohol intake on women ’s fertility . In the meantime , recommendations about alcohol intake to couples trying to conceive have to be given cautiously BACKGROUND In a prospect i ve study the effect of the behavioral risk factors of both partners on fecundability  was studied . METHODS Information was collected on smoking habits , alcohol consumption , and caffeine intake ( e.g. coffee , tea , and cola consumption ) by interviewing 259 female nonmedical hospital workers , i.e. , clerical staff , cleaners , kitchen and restaurant workers , and their partners , who were planning a pregnancy . The occurrence of pregnancy was tested prospect ively during the 12 months after enrollment . RESULTS Among the participants as well as among their partners , smoking a moderate number of cigarettes ( 1 - 10/day ) was associated with higher fecundability ( i.e. , the probability of becoming pregnant each month ) than among those not smoking ( participant : OR = 1.4 ( 95 % CI , 0.9 - 2.2 ) ; partner : OR = 2.1 ( 95 % CI , 1.2 - 3.5 ) ) . The level of alcohol consumption in the female partner was not related to fecundability . However , in the male partner , there was a positive influence for drinking more than 10 alcoholic drinks per week compared with that observed for those drinking less than 5 ( OR = 1.6 ; 95 % CI , 1.0 - 2.4 ) . Participants with a moderate caffeine intake ( 400 - 700 mg/day ) showed a higher fecundability than those with a lower intake level ( ORadjusted = 2.1 ( 95 % CI , 1.2 - 3.7 ) ) . Heavy caffeine intake ( > 700 mg/day ) among partners was negatively related to fecundability when compared with the lowest intake level ( ORadjusted = 0.6 ( 95 % CI , 0.3 - 0.97 ) ) . CONCLUSIONS This study does not support the hypothesis that moderate cigarette smoking , caffeine intake , and alcohol consumption have an adverse influence on fecundability OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of moderate alcohol intake on probability of conception . DESIGN Prospect i ve cohort study . SETTING Normal healthy women enrolled in an artificial donor insemination program . PATIENTS Women starting artificial donor insemination for the very first time were selected . INTERVENTIONS Alcohol exposure was measured through a self-administered question naire at intake of study . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE A first positive pregnancy test as indicative for conception . RESULTS Women with moderate alcohol intake had a slightly higher , though not significant , probability of conception compared with nondrinkers ( Hazard Ratio 1.20 ; 95 % confidence interval 0.90 to 1.60 ) . CONCLUSION Moderate alcohol intake has no negative impact on female fecundity OBJECTIVE To evaluate the correspondence among measures of self-reported drinking , st and ard biological indicators and the reports of collateral informants , and to identify patient characteristics associated with observed discrepancies among these three sources of research data . METHOD Using data collected from a large-scale clinical trial of treatment matching with alcoholics ( N = 1,726 ) , these three alternative outcome measures were compared at the time of admission to treatment and at 12 months after the end of treatment . RESULTS Patient self-reports and collateral reports agreed most ( 97.1 % ) at treatment admission when heavy drinking was unlikely to be denied . In contrast , liver function tests were relatively insensitive , with positive serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase ( GGTP ) values obtained from only 39.7 % of those who admitted to heavy drinking . At 15-month follow-up the correspondence between client self-report and collateral report decreased to 84.7 % , but agreement with blood chemistry values increased to 51.6 % . When discrepancies occurred , they still indicated that the client ' s self-report is more sensitive to the amount of drinking than the biochemical measures . Patients who presented discrepant results tended to have more severe drinking problems , more previous treatments , higher levels of pretreatment drinking and significantly greater levels of cognitive impairment , all of which could potentially interfere with accurate recall . CONCLUSIONS In clinical trials using self-selected research volunteers , biochemical tests and collateral informant reports do not add sufficiently to self-report measurement accuracy to warrant their routine use . Re sources devoted to collecting these alternative sources of outcome data might be better invested in interview procedures design ed to increase the validity of self-report information PURPOSE Common polymorphisms in the N-acetyltransferase-2 ( NAT2 ) metabolic enzyme determine slow or rapid acetylator phenotypes . We investigated the effects of alcohol , smoking , and caffeine on fecundability , and determined whether the effects were modified by NAT2 . METHODS Three NAT2 polymorphisms were genotyped in 319 women office workers participating in a prospect i ve pregnancy study ( 1990 - 1994 ) . Women were ages 20 - 41 and at risk for pregnancy . Discrete-time survival analysis was used to determine the effects of alcohol , smoking , and caffeine on fecundability and evaluate effect modification by NAT2 . RESULTS We followed 319 women ( 161 slow acetylators , 158 rapid ) for an average of 8 menstrual cycles , result ing in 124 pregnancies . There was no effect of caffeine on fecundability . Drinking ≥1 alcoholic drink per day and current smoking were significantly associated with reduced fecundability , but only among slow acetylators ( adjusted fecundability odds ratio [ FOR ] for smoking = 0.34 ; 95 % confidence interval , 0.22 - 0.90 ; adjusted FOR for ≥1 drink per day = 0.20 ; 0.05 - 0.92 ) . There was no effect among rapid acetylators . CONCLUSIONS NAT2 status significantly modified the effects of alcohol and smoking on fecundability , emphasizing the importance of incorporating genetic and metabolic information in studies of reproductive health . Replication of this study is warranted BACKGROUND Assessing couple fecundity on a nation-wide basis without excluding couples who eventually remain infertile is challenging . Our aim was to describe couple fecundity ( in terms of frequency of involuntary infertility ) among the general population living in France . METHODS We used a current- duration design . A r and om sample of 64 262 households was selected in 2007 - 2008 , allowing us to identify 15 810 women aged 18 - 44 years . Eligible women ( n= 1089 ) were those having regular sexual intercourse with a male partner , not using any method of contraception and not having delivered in the previous 3 months . These women reported information on the  current duration of unprotected intercourse ( CDUI , the time elapsed between the start of the period of unprotected intercourse and the time of inclusion in the study ) . The CDUI distribution was used to estimate the frequency of involuntary infertility , using a newly developed statistical technique that does not require couples to be followed up until the end of the period of unprotected intercourse . RESULTS CDUI was defined for 867 women . An estimated 46 % of couples had no detected pregnancy conceived during the first 6 months of unprotected intercourse [ 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) , 36 - 56 % ] . The proportions of couples with no detected pregnancy within 12 and 24 months were 24 % ( 19 - 30 % ) and 11 % ( 8 - 14 % ) , respectively . CONCLUSIONS These results constitute one of the few descriptions of the fecundity of a nation-wide representative sample of couples from the general population , not limited to couples who eventually conceived or to those resorting to medical help OBJECTIVE To identify risk factors for pregnancy outcomes in couples treated with intracervical or intrauterine insemination , with or without superovulation for unexplained or male-factor infertility . DESIGN Secondary analysis of data from a r and omized superovulation and intrauterine insemination trial . SETTING Academic medical centers . INTERVENTION(S ) Treatment continued for four cycles unless pregnancy was achieved . PATIENT(S ) Out of 932 couples r and omized to four treatment groups , 664 couples who had completed the lifestyle question naires were assessed for occurrence of pregnancy and live birth . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S ) Pregnancy and live birth . RESULT ( S ) The pregnancy and live birth rates were significantly higher in couples in which the female partners reported that they had consumed coffee or tea in the past or drank alcoholic beverages in the past ( past users ) compared with those who had never consumed coffee , tea , or alcoholic beverages . Past users also had significantly higher pregnancy and live birth rates than those currently consuming coffee or tea or alcoholic beverages . Demographic , occupational exposure , and other lifestyle factors were not significant . CONCLUSION ( S ) Couples in which the female partners drank coffee , tea , or alcoholic beverages in the past had higher pregnancy and live birth rates compared with never or current users . When discontinuing these habits , they might have made other lifestyle changes to improve the pregnancy outcome BACKGROUND AND AIM There are plausible reasons to suggest that heavy alcohol consumption reduces male as well as female fecundability , but only a few epidemiological studies have addressed this issue , and results concerning the effect of a moderate intake are equivocal . The present studies were design ed to examine the association between male and female alcohol intake at the start of the waiting time to a planned pregnancy . METHODS Two types of studies were used-a population -based study of r and omly selected women between 25 and 44 years in the different European countries from census registers and electoral rolls , and a pregnancy-based study of consecutive pregnant women ( at least 20 weeks pregnant ) recruited during prenatal care encounters . More than 4000 couples were included in each study , and 10 different regions in Europe took part in the data collection . Data were collected through personal interviews in all population -based sample s and in all but four regions of the pregnancy study . RESULTS The results showed no strong nor coherent association between alcohol intake and subfecundity . CONCLUSIONS Should any causal effect be present it is restricted to females with a high intake of alcohol within the range of normal consumption reported in European countries Objective To investigate to what extent alcohol consumption affects  female fecundability . Design Prospect i ve cohort study . Setting Denmark , 1 June 2007 to 5 January 2016 . Participants 6120 female Danish residents , aged 21 - 45 years , in a stable relationship with a male partner , who were trying to conceive and not receiving fertility treatment . Main outcome measures Alcohol consumption was self reported as beer ( 330 mL bottles ) , red or white wine ( 120 mL glasses ) , dessert wine ( 50 mL glasses ) , and spirits ( 20 mL ) and categorized in st and ard servings per week ( none , 1 - 3 , 4 - 7 , 8 - 13 , and ≥14 ) . Participants contributed menstrual cycles at risk until the report of pregnancy , start of fertility treatment , loss to follow-up , or end of observation ( maximum 12 menstrual cycles ) . A proportional probability regression model was used to estimate fecundability ratios ( cycle specific probability of conception among exposed women divided by that among unexposed women ) . Results 4210 ( 69 % ) participants  achieved a pregnancy during follow-up . Median alcohol intake was 2.0 ( interquartile range 0 - 3.5 ) servings per week . Compared with no alcohol consumption , the adjusted fecundability ratios for alcohol consumption of 1 - 3 , 4 - 7 , 8 - 13 , and 14 or more servings per week were 0.97 ( 95 % confidence interval 0.91 to 1.03 ) , 1.01 ( 0.93 to 1.10 ) , 1.01 ( 0.87 to 1.16 ) and 0.82 ( 0.60 to 1.12 ) , respectively . Compared with no alcohol intake , the adjusted fecundability ratios for women who consumed only wine ( ≥3 servings ) , beer ( ≥3 servings ) , or spirits ( ≥2 servings ) were 1.05 ( 0.91 to1.21 ) , 0.92 ( 0.65 to 1.29 ) , and 0.85 ( 0.61 to 1.17 ) , respectively . The data did not distinguish between regular and binge drinking , which may be important if large amounts of alcohol are consumed during the fertile window . Conclusion Consumption of less than 14 servings of alcohol per week seemed to have no discernible effect on fertility . No appreciable difference in fecundability was observed by level of consumption of beer and wine OBJECTIVE To study care-seeking behavior for infertility treatment in different European countries . DESIGN Multicenter surveys of r and omly selected women in the child bearing age . SETTING Five countries participated in the study : Denmark , Germany , Italy , Pol and , and Spain . Data were collected from 1991 to 1993 as part of a concerted action . PATIENTS Population -based sample s of women 25 to 44 years of age . The sample sizes ranged from 442 women in Pol and to 2,729 in Italy . Participation rates ranged from 54 % in Germany to 87 % in Denmark . Data were collected by means of a highly structured question naire used at a face-to-face interview . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Waiting time to pregnancy , time , and type of treatment for infertility . RESULTS Less than half of the infertile couples  seek medical help in most European countries . The lowest proportion seeking help was found in Pol and and the highest in Denmark . CONCLUSION The increasing dem and for infertility treatment is expected to continue , because the potential unmet need is outspoken in most European countries OBJECTIVE To investigate the long-term effects of alcohol consumption on  female fertility .  DESIGN Prospect i ve study of a r and om sample of 7,393 women , selected from the 445,000 inhabitants of Stockholm County , Sweden , in 1969 . Self-estimated alcohol consumption was obtained from postal question naires . Data on hospitalizations for pregnancy outcomes including infertility examinations were analyzed until 1987 . SETTING Healthy women in Stockholm County , Sweden . PATIENT(S ) Seven thous and three hundred ninety-three women in the age range 18 - 28 years . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S ) Rates of hospitalization for deliveries , miscarriages , legal abortions , extrauterine pregnancies , pelvic inflammatory disease , endometriosis , and infertility examinations were analyzed in relation to the intake of alcohol . RESULT ( S ) Two hundred fifty-two women underwent infertility examinations . High consumers had an increased risk for such examinations , as compared with moderate consumers : relative risk ratio ( RR ) = 1.59 ( 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] : 1.09 - 2.31 ) ; and low consumers had a decreased risk ( RR = 0.64 ; CI : 0.46 - 0.90 ) . Moreover , for both high and low consumers we observed a significantly lower number of first and second partus . Rates of miscarriage , extrauterine pregnancy , and pelvic inflammatory disease did not differ between high and low consumers of alcohol . CONCLUSION ( S ) High alcohol consumption was associated with increased risk of infertility examinations at hospitals and with lower numbers of first and second partus . It may be important for the female partner in an infertile couple to limit alcohol intake or to not drink at all Background : Many studies have examined whether caffeine , alcohol , or specific beverages containing these substances affect  fertility in women . However , most of these studies have retrospectively collected information on alcohol and caffeine intake , making the results susceptible to biases . Methods : We followed 18,555 married women without a history of infertility for 8 years as they attempted to become ( or became ) pregnant .  Diet was measured twice during this period and prospect ively related to the incidence of ovulatory disorder infertility . Results : There were 438 incident report of ovulatory disorder infertility during follow-up . Intakes of alcohol and caffeine were unrelated to the risk of ovulatory disorder infertility . Comparing the highest to lowest categories of intake , the multivariate-adjusted relative risk , was 1.11 ( 95 % confidence interval = 0.76–1.64 ; P for trend 0.78 ) for alcohol and 0.86 ( 0.61–1.20 ; 0.44 ) for total caffeine . However , intake of caffeinated soft drinks was positively related to ovulatory disorder infertility . Comparing the highest to lowest categories of caffeinated soft drink consumption , the RR was 1.47 ( 1.09–1.98 ; 0.01 ) . Similar associations were observed for noncaffeinated , sugared , diet , and total soft drinks . Conclusions : Our findings do not support the hypothesis that alcohol and caffeine impair ovulation to the point of decreasing fertility . The association between soft drinks and ovulatory disorder infertility seems not to be attributable to their caffeine or sugar content , and deserves further investigation OBJECTIVE To examine the effects of alcohol and caffeine on  conception . DESIGN Prospect i ve observational study . SETTING Healthy volunteers in two manufacturing facilities . PATIENT(S ) One hundred twenty-four women who provided daily urine sample s for measurement of steroid hormones and hCG , and prospect i ve information about alcohol and caffeine consumption .  MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S ) Probability of conception per 100 menstrual cycles . RESULT ( S ) There was > 50 % reduction in the probability of conception during a menstrual cycle during which participants consumed alcohol . Caffeine consumption did not independently affect the probability of conception but may enhance alcohol 's negative effect . Women who abstained from alcohol and consumed less than one cup of coffee or its equivalent per day conceived 26.9 pregnancies per 100 menstrual cycles compared with 10.5 per 100 menstrual cycles among those who consumed any alcohol and more than one cup of coffee per day . CONCLUSIONS This study revealed an independent dose-related negative effect of alcohol consumption on the ability to conceive . Our results suggest that women who are attempting to conceive should abstain from consuming alcohol
To what extent could alcohol consumption affects  female fertility  is still unclear .
The aim of this study was to quantitatively summarize the dose-response relation between total and specific types of alcohol beverage ( beer , wine , and spirits ) consumption in female and the fecundability .