Many a baby has been conceived during a fun night of drinking alcohol-infused margaritas that may not be remembered by the parties involved.  Will the alcohol in your bloodstream during intercourse ultimately harm the pregnancy?  Experts suggest that alcohol from the night of sexual relations is more prone to adversely affect the chances of conception rather than affect the health of the egg or sperm.  Because actual conception occurs between 1 and 4 days following intercourse, the alcohol from the night you had intercourse will have left the bloodstream by the time sperm and egg meet.

“While there is plenty of evidence that a mom’s drinking during pregnancy can cause problems for the baby, there is no evidence that the  father’s drinking at the time of conception poses any direct risk. Even if you were drinking just on the night of conception, problems would be unlikely.” Dr. Marjorie Greenfield  www.drspock.com

Experts agree that worrying about alcohol consumption prior to learning of a pregnancy is not productive, and attention should be focused on ensuring a healthy pregnancy now and in the future.

Please also see our articles on breastfeeding and alcohol, prenatal vitamins and conception preparation.