We are currently waiting to start our next cycle in June and my hubby (who has fertility issues) had a beer last night. He is usually exercising and trying to have a healthy mediterranean diet, except for the occassional sweet here and there.
I know it sounds petty and feel bad about being mad at him but after several failed IVF cycles I am over sensitive with everything.
Probably nobody can answer this question but I'm paranoid that little things like this might affect our chances.
Have any of you been in a similar situation? I'm angry at myself for being so strict with him...
Written by
Bomboncita
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I don’t think it will do any harm at all. We’ve discussed/had treatment with 2 clinics and both were happy for men to drink up to a certain amount (sorry can’t remember the exact amount but it was around 4 drinks a week).
The issue is that sometimes I don't know how to react or behave, so reading other people's experiences helps me understand that I should not be so angry with him. The last thing I want is to create a bad vibe between us and break my relationship.
Oh man, I totally understand how frustrating this must be - both because you know he is trying and because this feels like such a high pressure moment. Please don’t beat yourself up about it, you and he are doing so much.
I think it’s fine to have 1 beer. I asked my clinic about things to watch for, and they basically said no drugs (does this really need to be said?) and tight underwear for him. Otherwise, everything in moderation is fine.
Absolutely not. We have severe male factor and had to have the sperm extracted. We we're sort of ramrailed quite quickly into his procedure after a long time waiting on the NHS so we didnt have much time to prepare and carried on fairly normal. I don't think hubby even took supplements. 😬 Not the model examples! We were a bit blasé, naiive and probably a bit stupid! We lived our lives and Hubby had been having a couple of drinks a week prior to his retrieval. Just to give you an idea how cycles can massively vary which is NOT anyone's fault cos they had a cup of coffee or a drink......From that same batch of contaminated 😂 sperm, round 1: we had good fertilisation (3 blasts.....none worked) and round 2: poor fertilisation (1 fertilised....now my son 🥰). I believe it's protocol, decent embryologists and a bit of luck. So no, I defo don't think a beer will make any difference. Xxx
Just to add I don't recommend drinking during a cycle and he didn't drink for his second retrieval as we are TTC a sibling. We had more control as this is private, a lot more knowledge and did a lot more prep ..... Four rounds in so far and hoping this will be our time. 🤞
Definitely wont so any damage. My husband had occasional drink (very rare) but quit baths completely. Thats what damages the sperm, hot baths. Also with our second ICSI cycle clinic did zymot sperm selection. It made a massive difference!!! I am currently expecting and have 6 frozen embryos. I believe zymot made a difference as we did not do anything different second time round, my protocol was the same as clinic had no issues with my results.
Hi AliceI was reading your reply to Bonboncita and was surprised to read that a hot bath can have an effect on sperm quality as no one had ever told us that. I’ve had 2 failed icsi cycles so far and planning another later this year but both my partner and I have a daily bath, should we both stop that or just my partner?
I was also intrigued by Zymot sperm selection, is it a special type of selection or just the name your clinic uses for selecting good quality sperm?
Any advice gratefully received as we want to do what we can to give ourselves the best chance.
Dear Miaow,my husband used to love his baths (still does but now he is allowed again) but it was a massive NO NO. Our clinic said this to him also I read online before they did (baths have a big affect on male fertility, not female).
As mentioned before we have a male factor, all my test results came back very good. So they had to change something for him. Before our 1st ICSI (which sadly failed) he stopped baths completely, had supplements and cut down on drinking. All that preparation and cycle failed....just 1 poor quality blastocyst which did not implant. I was so upset.
During our review, I was told to carry one with the same supplements (CoQ10, Folic Acid etc) but clinic needed to change something for my husband so they said instead of individual supplements, take just Proceed Plus for 3 months.
Once the 3 month preparation (to improve sperm) completed, we started second cycle. Additionally, as mentioned before, clinic suggested Zymot sperm selection. It was not a very expensive to have it added to a usual cycle so we just went ahead with everything they suggested as we really wanted better outcome. You can google this method as I am still not 100% how it works. I think instead of a human looking at sperm and deciding this one looks good and this one doesnt, little device detects the best sperm for ICSI. I have also never heard of Zymot selection before, I think not all clinics use this method, we lucky ours did. As mentioned, we could not wish for a better result. 7 blastocysts
Hi Alice Thanks for your response and we will make some changes ready for our next cycle. We’ve both been on supplements (pregnacare) for the last few months so hoping that has had an impact on the sperm count. I will Google about the Zymot sperm selection and just wanted to say congratulations on 7 blastocysts, let’s hope at least one of those develops. Keeping my fingers crossed for you 🤞🏻.
IVF is stressful a beer here and there (and a glass of wine for you) won’t do any harm and if it helps relax you it might actually do some good 🤗 you have the right attitude in terms of trying not to play the ‘blame’ game with each other as that can really make you both feel isolated in a tough enough journey. Wishing you lots and lots and luck 💜 xx
Don’t think one beer could do much in the grand scheme of things. Besides, it takes 3 months for sperm to make it through so it’s more about what he was doing 3 months ago and not now.
Hi, we will be doing the treatment in June, so what we are in the process of getting ourselves in the best condition possible. Of course, in the end, there's the uncertainty and things are not completely under our control. Thank you for you message 🙂
Ahh okay, so you’re not far off the 3 months anyway. But honestly one beer will be fine. If you’re looking to keep your eggs healthy too then I would stay away from caffeine. I do think it’s a fertility offender and from what I’ve read on research it’s just not widely bandied about. I think that’s the same for male sperm too. Walnuts are great for sperm and my OH’s sperm count increased from exercising - as testosterone is important for sperm and can really help the numbers. Good luck 🤞
Oh I hear you and I was the same. I substituted with decaf coffee and got used to it. I also subbed with decaf tea and you definitely can’t taste there difference there. I also has some herbal teas too to change it up.
I think if you look at the scientific studies it showed that under a certain amount alcohol showed no damage. I think it was the equivalent of 4 drinks, something like that but not all at once.
I’d be cross too though as he only has to do it a short while, so don’t beat yourself up about being mad!
Yes, I read something like that too, it's just that there's so much information out there that one doesn't know any longer what to think. Thank you for your supportive words 🤗
My hubby stopped drinking for 6 months as well, stopped the sauna & hot bath, took impryl daily…and his number went done. So with alcool and daily sauna and no sup his numbers were actually better🤔. Not suggesting anyone to drink of course.
Oh...That's interesting to read. It is true that every retrieval is different for women, so it's normal that things can fluctuate for men too. I hope things work out for you 🙏
We got 4 Frosties out of our first cycle. First FET failed but we’re hopefully something will happen with the remaining 3. For the sperm quality I just felt very sorry for my hubby who work hard for “nothing”. I think it’s so easy to kind of forgetting to treat yourself as we’re so focused for things to go a certain way…but stress is a killer so better be kind with ourselves/each other. God knows how long this process will take. Better to have a strong ally💪💪💪
My husband and I are planning a diet overhall and lifestyle change ahead of our next cycle but I don’t want to get too strict with it to the point of being paranoid. I’m reading It Starts With The Egg and also listening to some podcasts about nutrition etc but I will only follow the advice that fits in with our lifestyle easily enough. One podcast even suggested the odd glass of red wine could be good - happy days! Guess if it’s Mediterranean then why not? One beer honestly won’t have made any difference, in the same way that the odd strong coffee or big fat slice of chocolate cake wouldn’t either. Don’t worry xx
Hi, thanks for your message. It's good to be reminded by others that there's nothing wrong with eating healthy and allowing yourself a treat here and there. Otherwise the whole process becomes a torture. 👍 I wish you all the best 👍
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Buying sperm UK 
No Sperm count
Odd occasion for the 'sperm test'
Advice please re: donor egg and sperm
Sperm DNA fragmentation...... 
