Alcohol and Pregnancy

Alcohol and pregnancy don’t mix.

Important Facts

THERE IS NO SAFE AMOUNT OR SAFE TIME TO DRINK ALCOHOL DURING PREGNANCY

If you drink alcohol while you are pregnant, you are at risk of giving birth to a baby with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). FASD is a term that describes a range of disabilities (physical, social, mental/emotional) that may affect people whose birth mothers drank alcohol while they were pregnant.

FASD may include problems with learning and /or behaviour, doing math, thinking things through, learning from experience, understanding the consequences of his or her actions, and remembering things. Your child could also have trouble in social situations and getting along with others. People with FASD may be small, they may have behaviour and/or learning problems, and their faces may look different. Research shows that children born to mothers who drank as little as one drink per day during pregnancy may have behaviour and learning problems.

No one knows how much alcohol it takes to harm a developing baby. When you drink alcohol during pregnancy, it rapidly reaches your baby through your bloodstream. The effect of alcohol on the developing baby can vary depending on the health of the pregnant woman and also the amount, pattern and timing of drinking alcohol during pregnancy. Binge drinking (drinking a large amount of alcohol in a short amount of time) is especially bad for the developing baby.

Next Steps

Whether you are trying to get pregnant or are pregnant already, stop drinking alcohol. No alcohol is the best (and the safest!) choice for having a healthy baby.

If you need help to stop drinking, you should ask your doctor, community health nurse, midwife or other health care professionals for advice. Tell your partner, family, friends, and community members who can all support you with this decision.

Smoking and Infertility

Adapted from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Patient Fact Sheet

Research indicates that cigarette smoking is harmful to a women's ovaries and the degree of harm is dependent upon the amount and the period of time a woman smokes. Smoking pears to accelerate the loss of eggs and reproductive function and may advance the time of menopause by several years. Components in cigarette smoke have been shown to interfere with the ability of cells in the ovary to make estrogen and cause a woman's eggs to be more prone to genetic abnormalities. Smoking is strongly associated with an increased risk of spontaneous miscarriage and possibly ectopic pregnancy as well. Pregnant smokers are more likely to have low birth weight babies and premature birth. The incident of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) also increases in households where someone smokes.

Common Questions About Physical Activity and Pregnancy

Adapted from the Government of Canada Health Website.

I've never really been active. Should I start now that I'm pregnant?

Physical activity can make you feel better and be beneficial for both you and your developing baby. The decision to be active during pregnancy may be the first step toward a long-lasting healthy way of life for you and your family. Remember to speak with your doctor before you begin and start slowly.

I'm already active, but now I’m pregnant. Can I continue to exercise?

If you exercised regularly before becoming pregnant, continue your program and make changes as you need them. Talk to your doctor about your current routine to see if and when you may need to make any adjustments. Most importantly, listen to your body as it changes from one month to the next and only do what feels comfortable for you.

Can I lift weights?

Weight training is generally safe as long as the resistance is light to moderate. Using heavier weights could put too much stress on muscles and ligaments. Proper controlled breathing is also very important. After your fourth month of pregnancy, experts suggest modifying exercises that require lying on your back so they are performed on your side, or while you are standing or sitting.

How can I tell if I’ve overdone it?

If you’re really tired and you feel like stopping, then it’s time to stop. If you still feel tired, give yourself a break for at least a day. Call your doctor if you have any of the following symptoms:

* persistent contractions
* bleeding from the vagina
* increasing back pain, pubic pain, or pain in the abdomen
* sudden swelling of the ankles, hands or face
* dizziness or shortness of breath
* excessive fatigue
* difficulty walking
* changes in usual fetal movement
* swelling, pain, and redness in the calf of one leg

Vitamin C to Increase Fertility

Can It Enhance Male Fertility?

Yes! Research has shown that it can.

A man with a vitamin C deficiency has shown to contribute to low sperm count, low sperm mobility and sperm agglutination. Sperm agglutination is the process by which sperm clumps together. When sperm cells are clumped together, they cannot swim properly and have a hard time making it to the egg.

For sperm to fertilize an egg, it has to reach the egg. This journey relies on the female's cervical fluid and partly on the man's semen. Vitamin C can help the healthy sperm swim to the eggs through the semen and cervical fluid to the waiting egg.

Vitamin C has also been shown to reduce the occurrence of abnormal or defective sperm. This has been proven especially true in smokers. Of course quitting smoking is the best thing for a couple trying to conceive.

Foods rich in Vitamin C

Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid, which is a water-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal functioning of the body. Unlike most mammals, humans don't have the ability to make their own vitamin C. We must therefore obtain vitamin C through our diet.

A minimum intake of 1000 mg/day was required to completely saturate the blood plasma with vitamin C. They also found that vitamin C should be taken in divided doses throughout the day as urinary excretion increases rapidly when individual doses exceed 500 mg.

Most of us think of citrus fruits as being the best source of vitamin C. You'd get 60 mg/day from about 3/4 cup of orange juice
Here are some of the food that contain Vitamin C, says Robyn Webb in an article to the Diabetes Forecast:

- Drinking 3/4 cup of orange juice provides 60mg of vitamin C
- Eat more broccoli. A 1/2-cup serving provides 45 mg of vitamin C.
- Add a slice of tomato to your sandwiches. A small tomato provides 25 mg of vitamin C.
- Slice up a papaya or mango for dessert. Half a medium papaya or mango provides 95 mg of vitamin C.
- Think peppers! Red, yellow, and orange peppers have about twice the vitamin C of green peppers.
- More obscure vegetables, like kohlrabi and jicama, provide about 45 mg of vitamin C per half cup. Just grate each into a green salad.
- Believe it or not, potatoes contain vitamin C, too! A small baked potato has 25 mg.
- Kiwi fruit, the fuzzy little brown fruit with the deep green interior, has about 55 mg of vitamin C.

Eat up and load up on some more vitamin C to enhance fertility!

8 Steps to Increase Fertility

Found a few general tips on msnbc.com to share with you from Joy Bauer.

1. Maintain a healthy weight (and lose weight, if you’re overweight).

2. Avoid trans fat. Trans fat is typically found in stick margarine, fried foods and hydrogenated oil.

3. Stop eating excessive sugar and refined carbohydrates.

4. Consume more protein from vegetables rather than from animals. Good sources of vegetable protein include beans and lentils.

5. Eat fiber-rich foods. Best sources of fiber include vegetables, fruit and whole grains.

6. Consider taking a standard multivitamin.

7. Exercise every day for at least 30 minutes.

8. Consume one daily serving of full-fat dairy (i.e., 1 cup whole milk, full-fat yogurt, or 1-2 ounces cheese). That’s because a recent report showed full-fat dairy may help increase fertility in women more so than low-fat/nonfat dairy. That said, full-fat dairy is loaded with calories and saturated fat, thus I recommend you make only ONE of your daily servings full fat.

Bottom line: Lose weight if you’re overweight, make smart food choices and exercise regularly — these lifestyle factors may help you become more fertile if you’re experiencing problems with ovulation.