Everyone knows that drinking alcohol during the period of conception and pregnancy is categorically unacceptable, but not all people take this seriously. Usually experiences arise after the "drunk" conception. The couple faces the fact of pregnancy and is forced to make a decision. Let’s see if alcohol affects conception.
Alcohol and male reproductive function
The physical well-being of the child depends on the health of not only the future mother, but also his father. Doctors of medical sciences have proved that sperm quality has a great influence on the proper growth and health of the embryo.
As a rule, men rarely think about the negative effects of alcohol on conception. It is believed that this is the woman’s concern - to understand the issues of conception, pregnancy and the health of the unborn child, and the main problem of the head of the family is raising funds.
In a man who does not drink alcohol, only about 25% of germ cells have some abnormalities. Therefore, the probability of fertilization of the egg with abnormal sperm in such people is low. At the same time, among those who like to drink, the number of unhealthy germ cells increases repeatedly. This is due to the fact that alcohol, penetrating into the seed, immediately produces negative changes, as a result of which pathologies appear in the chromosome sets of sperm.
A child conceived by such an abnormal reproductive cell will probably have genetic diseases.
Alcohol and female reproductive function
In the female body, once a month, only one germ cell, ready for fertilization, develops. The process of her healthy development depends on many circumstances, including how often and how much a woman drinks alcohol. If the period of taking alcohol is long, then its negative impact on the baby will be great.
According to the conception calculator, the most likely fertilization occurs 12-16 days before the start of a new monthly cycle.
A woman has eggs that do not change over time. With these sex cells a woman is born, they can only be lost during menstruation or fertilization. If a woman regularly drinks alcohol, then chromosome deformation occurs in her eggs.
After fertilization, the damaged cell is often unable to attach to the surface of the uterus, which contributes to spontaneous miscarriages.
If an unhealthy egg can still attach to the uterus, cell reproduction and the formation of the organs of the unborn baby will begin. Due to the fact that the chromosomes of such a cell are violated, the fetal organs can develop with pathologies, the probability of giving birth to a dead child in this case is very high, and fetal anomalies are almost one hundred percent.
It is important to understand that not all types of alcohol are excreted in a day, sometimes this process lasts several days. If you abuse alcohol regularly, then the withdrawal period can be about a month.
Pathologies of children born to families of alcoholics
- Underweight and height of the baby.
- Disorders of mental development.
- Hypoxia
- DNA pathology.
- Physical abnormalities.
Are conception and alcohol compatible?
Some future parents are worried about how much alcohol is safe to conceive. First you need to find out if a couple of alcoholics really need a child? When potential parents are not able to renounce addictions, what kind of conversation about the conception of a baby can be conducted at all? It is necessary to prioritize correctly between conception and alcohol. What is more important?
There is no safe dose of alcohol! Only 3 grams of alcohol in ethyl equivalent can have negative effects on the embryo. The concepts of “alcohol and conception” are incompatible.
Unplanned conception
What to do if conception still happened at the time of intoxication, and termination of pregnancy is unacceptable? You need to immediately find out the amount of alcohol consumed by partners during the month. An accidental pregnancy is not a reason to abandon motherhood. If the couple is not dependent on the use of alcohol-containing products, the percentage of birth of a healthy baby is very high.
The main thing to do after alcohol conception
- In a timely manner, seek advice from a gynecologist and other specialists, undergo examinations, and pass tests for laboratory tests. It is important to truthfully share information with doctors about the drunken conception.
- Stop drinking alcohol completely.
- Increase the amount of protein in the diet.
- Start taking vitamins. It is known that alcohol reduces the percentage of vitamins and minerals in the blood. To restore the amount of these valuable substances necessary for the normal development of the fetus, you need to take vitamin preparations recommended by specialists.
- Stop smoking.
- Reduce caffeinated drinks.
You can avoid an unwanted pregnancy using the conception calculator. This simple program is indispensable for those who want to prevent pregnancy or, conversely, plan to conceive a child. It is advisable to use the calendar pregnancy protection method in conjunction with other means. So the protection will be even higher.
The effect of alcohol on children
There were times when a woman, not knowing about pregnancy, drank alcohol until the very birth. What is the result of such negligence? A full-fledged baby from a drinking mother cannot be born. Abnormal children are always born to alcoholic parents. Much more often than in people without harmful addictions, in parents who drink, children are born prematurely or stillborn. Also at times increases the likelihood of infant death at an early age.
Children of alcoholics are characterized by increased excitability and anxiety, have damage to the central nervous system. More than 6% of these children are cramped. In general, about 10% of all cases of epilepsy occur specifically in children born to alcoholics.
In primary school age, such children often get tired quickly, are restless and morally unstable. They manifest various sleep disorders, there are complaints of headaches, they are often in a bad mood, prone to fears. Physically, children of alcoholics look weak and pale. They often reveal oligophrenia - the degree of dementia. Children of drinking parents often adopt addictions from them.
Family alcoholism. Psychological moments
Alcoholism is a disease that has a negative effect not only on the person suffering from it, but also on the whole environment, especially on children. The life of an alcoholic is very limited, in such conditions the mental state of children is not stable. Some children who drink parents are ashamed of their families, trying to turn their lives on a different path. Not everyone succeeds, because for a baby, parents are an authority, he copies asocial examples of behavior without suspecting the consequences.
Behavioral types of children from disadvantaged families
Psychologists distinguish four behavioral types in children drinking parents:
- "Hero". A child of this type is trying to take control of the whole situation in the family. As far as he can, he takes care of his parents, tries to manage the household, to equip his life.
- "Scapegoat". This child constantly accepts all the anger and irritation emanating from drinking family members. He is introverted, frightened and extremely unhappy.
- "Soaring in the clouds." Such a child is the creator of his own world, he refuses to accept the reality of life, is not able to understand his role in the family and society. He lives in a world of his own fantasies and dreams, and he really likes this kind of life.
- "Not knowing the prohibitions." Such a child does not know the prohibitions. His parents, periodically suffering with remorse for their alcohol addiction, immensely pamper the child. It is characterized by abnormal behavior with other people.
In adulthood, children from alcoholic families endure complexes from bad childhood. This creates obstacles to a normal life. Such people need the help of a specialist psychologist. As a rule, such a specialist helps to increase self-esteem and adapt in society.