ttc and alcohol question

[ruppie]

Hi everybody -
My husband and I plan on ttc in Sept or Oct -- a little over a month ago I stopped taking my bcp and have started prenatal vitamins. My first 'period' after stopping my bcps started a week late and was really just spotting, not so much a continuous cycle.
I am moderate drinker - really a wine with dinner girl. However, this past month has been especially active - we've had three weddings of very close friends, 30th birthday parties, etc.
Next week we are going on vacation for a week with 10 of our friends, which I have to say is a more then moderate drinking week (usually).
Now, we're not even trying yet - we're using condoms and I don't even know if I'm dropping eggs yet because of my recent stopping of the pill. However, I'm freaking out about the drinking thing. I just read some article about how you should stop drinking at least 3 months before ttc - that the alcohol gets stored in body fat and can take at least that long to get out of your system.
How do you guys handle this with long periods of ttc?? I know I will not drink a thing after I find out I'm pregnant - and optimally not while we're officially ttc. But what are the risks to the fetus if an accidental pregancy happens and you're not preparing by avoiding alcohol?

I'm sorry if this is a stupid or over-reactive question. I can't believe the things that go through my mind and what I worry about when even thinking of starting this process.

Thanks for any advice -

 

[Monica11]

I've never heard that about alcohol being "stored" in your system for so long! I know that some substances (like thc in marijuana) stay in your system for while, which is why drug tests can detect it long after the immediate effects have worn off. But I always believed that alcohol was metabolized fairly quickly. I wonder if lasting effects happen only with heavy, longterm use, perhaps leading to nutritional deficiencies that could affect a fetus. I don't mean to sound dismissive--I appreciate the dangers of mixing alcohol and pregnancy and stopped all intake even before the positive test, as soon as we started TTC--but I suspect that whatever residual effects alcohol has would be so slight as to pose no risk at all. Are we to believe that weeks after you last took a drink, there'd be enough left in your body to harm a fetus? Even a ripe piece of fruit has small amounts of alcohol in it! Maybe I just have too much nostalgia for wine right now, and I certainly would be open to hearing the evidence, but this sounds like somone taking good advice (don't drink while pg) and taking it farther than necessary.

 

[JulieL]

Ruppie if you figure out when you are ovulating it makes things like drinking much easier to figure out when is ok and not.

If you chart and you have a 28 day cycle, and ovulate on say the 14th, then you could safely drink until the 14th. The egg gets dropped on the 14th and the time frame the semen gets to it is varried, but the egg will implant 8-11 days after the 14th day. So some where around day 22-25 the egg attaches itself to the uterine wall and now is taking your blood to supply it with nurisment. So really you would be safe till the day the egg implants, but seeing as it varies from pregnancy to pregnancy even with the same woman when implatation happens it's best to stop consuming alcohol when you are ovulating. Then when the cycle is over and aunt flo is back you are safe to drink agian. I always had a drink when my af came back - might as well celebrate something (either a baby - or a good drink ;-) )

HTH - you don't have to be alcohol free for months, it's not even in your system after x amount of hours - depending on your weight and how many drinks. Have fun trying and good luck!

 

[ruppie]

Thanks guys - that really makes me feel better. I thought I would write here and see if I got the response - are you crazy for even thinking about drinking when you're planning to ttc soon !! Even just dinner wine! Your comments make me feel a lot better. It's just hard for me now without having any set schedule since so recently going off bcps. And then I think, well I want to try anyway, but then I don't know how much I should be restricting myself!!

I guess I'm also just nervous just BEING off bcps - then the 'what if' comes in - what if we're not even ttc officially, and it happens - and I haven't been as strict as I would've been had we been offically trying.



I like the idea of celebrating one or the other...

 

[kristan]

I stopped drinking only minutes before trying to conceive. This baby is our Mardi Gras baby. That said, my cycles/ovulation were very predictable and I knew exactly when my "window" was.

Kristan, #3 due 11-1

 

[leighanntx1]

I am normally not a drinker at all but we went out with some friends and they ordered a bottle of wine and it really was good (I usually hate wine) so I ended up drinking about 5 glasses. Four days later I had my 18th day of high temps, took a test and found out I was pregnant.

I freaked out and asked my doc at the first appointment and she said not to worry a bit. She said the worry is for people that drink daily or lots very often. She assured me that there would be no problems from the one night. Except for the hangover I had the next day

 

[Peachy]

Just remember that back in the day, doctors used to tell pregnant women to have a glass of wine when they felt stressed. I know my mom did! True, we know better now and most of us abstain completely, but if alcohol consumption were harmful in small amounts then none of us over 30 would be able to add or spell.

 

[melanalyus]

With my first baby I tried to get pregnant for months before actually conceiving. I was watching what I was drinking & eating for months...which was exhausting. Then, I decided that I was going to continue with my life until I found out I was pregnant. I had an occasional drink, did NOT get drunk.
Now that I'm p/g I've really been craving Strawberry Margaritis. Of course, I won't have one. On my bday I had a "virgin" one, but it didn't taste as good. When I was nursing baby 2, I would have an occasional drink, but then baby got fussy & didn't sleep well...so i gave it up then.
If you're using condoms, you should be just fine. As soon as you go all out & try to conceive...I'd give it all up for your little bundle.

**Melanie**
baby to be 11/28/05
Justin born 1/17/04
Jory born 4/9/94

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