Alcohol during 2WW?

[Anonymous]

Anyone have any thoughts on this? Unassisted reproduction effort - no drugs, no idea of how effective this whole procreation effort will be. What do you do - swear off everything until you know you're either pregnant or not?

[Anonymous]

I probably would, it's good practice if nothing else. If you do have a lot to drink (sometimes people have no idea they are pregnant) it can become a big source of worry. It's a good idea to cut way back on the coffee too. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

You probably should. BUT most of my friends who went through prolonged IF treatments just gave up and had a few glasses of wine during the 2WW - our children all ended up fine.

I assume you're taking lots of folic acid supplements? That's even more important. Anyhow, good luck!

[Anonymous]

I drank moderately during 2ww--wine only. Got PG, stopped drinking (obviously) and baby is very healthy/wonderful. During other 2ww, prior to success, I swore off wine, and no PG. I think in moderation--a few glasses over the course of a week with a meals it is not going to make a difference.

[Anonymous]

My doctor said exactly this:

"Drinking in moderation is fine, but I would adivse against drinking during the first trimester. Moderate drinking (meaning a couple of glasses of wine/week) won't necessarily *hurt* your chances of conceiving, but understand that drinking isn't especially *conducive* to development, either."

That sounded like a fair assessment. I drink until I get a positive HPT, and then not again until later in the third trimester when I might split a good beer with DH at dinner, which has also been ok'd by my OB/GYN and my GP. So, I'd say yes, if in moderation, you should be fine.

[Anonymous]

I have a similar question - what about exercise during the TWW? I mean intense exercise w/ jumping etc. Can that hurt the chances of implantation? Or am I just being overly crazy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a similar question - what about exercise during the TWW? I mean intense exercise w/ jumping etc. Can that hurt the chances of implantation? Or am I just being overly crazy?

My doc said that "if you already exercise regularly, it's perfectly safe," the idea being that you don't want to over-stress a body that is not used to exercise. I asked about running and he asked how often I run and I answered and he said it was totally fine, if not encouraged. I think they discourage women who are very overweight, out of shape, or with chronic problems like pulmonary or cardiac issues. It can cause too much stress on a weak body. So if you already exercise, go for it. I don't see a problem.

[Anonymous]

Shady Grove says NO alcohol at all during a treatment cycle.

I asked my doctor if that really meant absolutely zero alcohol, and she said "Yes. Well, if you're having your period and you want to have a glass of wine, fine, but otherwise no alcohol at all. A lot of the effects of alcohol are 'all-or-nothing' effects, so while we don't see a lot of fetal alcohol syndrome or babies with problems we can say were caused by alcohol, we really can't tell in how many cases alcohol prevented conception or caused a defect leading to a very early loss of the pregnancy."

I do NOT mean to imply that if you had an early loss, you may have caused it by having a beer or two. I just had an early loss, and I did have a couple of drinks during the 2WW. I don't think that's what caused the loss, but I now have a "zero tolerance policy" in effect during an "active TTC" cycle. I'm on a break now as I wait out the end of a cancelled cycle - no possibility of pregnancy this cycle, so I very much enjoyed my (large) glass of Cabernet last night - first one in about a month!

[Anonymous]

I realize this means I probably need to swear off my serious Diet Coke habit as well. I gave up cigarettes years ago with no problem, but man...can't shake the Diet Coke.

[Anonymous]

Let me put it this way - I've spent 31 months of my life TT&C, resulting in one early miscarriage and one healthy baby. I've tried every recommendation, from not stopping until I got a BFP, to not drinking at all, not drinking while cycling (stims and beyond), not drinking during TWW, only drinking in moderation, etc. My DS (incredibly smart, healthy, full term) was conceived in a cycle in which I drank during the entire cycle, including drinking enough at a holiday party the day before my period was due to give me a mild hangover. So - who knows? I used to think it didn't matter. I'm a bit more careful now that I'm older, figuring my older eggs may need a more pristine environment to work. But really, who can say if it makes a difference? My close friend has a similar story - she spent years TT&C, had several losses and a healthy DS, gave up alcohol during some TWWs and during a year of fertility treatments, but couldn't get pregnant again. After giving up TT&C #2, she drank too much during the holiday season last year, fooled around with her DH without thinking about what time of the month it was, and . . . . her DD arrived two months ago.

[Anonymous]

That's funny, because I am at Shady Grove and no one has said anything to me about not drinking alcohol. During my first two IVF cycles I drank a few times (a glass of wine or a beer while out with friends). Both were BFNs, but I doubt that is why. When I went to GW, they said it was fine to drink during a cycle. I think the RE's exact words were "you're not pregnant yet, so go ahead!" It actually never really occured to me to stop drinking during IVF until I heard that others were doing it. I may go ahead and not drink during this next cycle, although I am very skeptical that it matters at all. If you drink right after your transfer (before the embryo would have implanted), I just can't imagine how that could affect things. last time I met with my doctor, I specifically asked him what diet changes he'd recommend, and all he said was to not eat too much tofu.

[Anonymous]

I'm also at SGF and they didn't say anything about drinking during a cycle (though I didn't ask). After my transfer they did say to "avoid" alcohol until the pregnancy test. I drink a glass of wine here and there during stims and try not to drink more than 1 or 2 glasses a week during the 2WW, but I don't give it up altogether. My first cycle was a BFN.

[Anonymous]

Okay, I'm headed home to belt down one last really big glass of wine, then kick back for two weeks to see what happens. Better be some good wine.

[Anonymous]

The "no alcohol" statement is definitely in the printed instructions I received from Shady Grove prior to starting my cycle. My doctor mentioned it but I also received in in writing.

Maybe some of the SG docs are more "strict" about it than others??

[Anonymous]

I'd like to think of this debate ("to drink or not to drink") as more of a psychological issue rather than an actual physical issue. We all know that stress can wreak all sorts of havoc on our bodies, particularly while we TTC. So if having a glass of wine or a beer during the 2ww will keep you calm, relaxed and in good spirits, I say go ahead and have a glass or two. As long as its in moderation, indulging a little may even help take the edge off and in turn, help your body respond well to your treatments. However, if you are the type of person (like me) that stresses out over every drink, piece of food, medication etc. that goes into your system during the 2ww, then maybe avoiding alcohol would be more beneficial to you, thus relieving yourself of an extra piece of stress to add to your stress pile. In this case, alcohol might actually cause more harm than good.

I think the topic of drinking really depends on the individual and their personality. Just my two cents.