Effects of maternal and paternal alcohol consumption on the success rates of in vitro fertilization and gamete intrafallopian transfer

Objective: To determine whether the amount and timing of female and male alcohol use during IVF and GIFT affect reproductive endpoints. Design: Multicenter prospective study. Setting: Clinics in southern California. Patient(s): Two hundred twenty-one couples with female infertility. Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): Egg retrieval, transfer, fertilization, pregnancy, miscarriage, live birth, and multiple gestations. Result(s): Female alcohol consumption was associated with: (1) a 13% decrease in the number of eggs aspirated (adjusted 95% confidence interval [CI]: -2% to -23%, for one additional drink per day, 1 year before the IVF or GIFT attempt); (2) an increase in risk of not achieving pregnancy by 2.86 times (0.99-8.24, 1 month prior); and (3) an increase in risk of miscarriage by 2.21 times (1.09-4.49, 1 week before the procedure). For men, one additional drink per day increased the risk of not achieving a live birth by 2.28 (1.08-4.80) to 8.32 (1.82-37.97) times, depending on the time period; beer also affected live births (ORs = 5.49-45.64). This outcome may be due partially to increased risk of miscarriage by 2.70 to 38.04 times for men who drank ≤1 month before and during IVF and GIFT. Conclusion(s): This is the first study to report an association between alcohol use and reproductive endpoints of IVF and GIFT. Because alcohol use is ubiquitous, modifying drinking habits may increase assisted reproductive technology success rates.