Soon-to-be fathers should curb drinking before pregnancy

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-04-20 09:30

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It’s well-known that expecting mothers should abstain from drinking alcohol during their pregnancy, but new Chinese research has found a link between paternal drinking before conception and birth defects. Researchers collected data on more than 500,000 couples planning a pregnancy within six months, including the soon-to-be father’s drinking habits and reported birth defects more than a month after delivery. After other factors were adjusted for, they found the risk of birth defects was higher among couples where the father was drinking at least once a week, especially the risk of clefts. They say their findings provide evidence that a father regularly drinking alcohol before conception may increase the risks of birth defects in offspring by affecting sperm cells, and advise soon-to-be dads to go dry before conceiving a child.