Is Booze Messing With Your Pregnancy Plans?

Alcohol may be silently sabotaging pregnancy prevention—while cannabis, surprisingly, stays neutral.

When it comes to preventing pregnancy, what you drink might matter more than what you smoke. Women's health never fails to surprise the scientific community. Heavy drinking can greatly raise the chance of an unexpected pregnancy, even for women who are very focused on avoiding it. On the other hand, using cannabis doesn’t seem to have the same effect. This goes against the existing ideas about how substances affect fertility. These findings could change how we help women make choices about their bodies and their reproductive plans().

Alcohol Myths Busted: No Sip is a Safe Sip
Alcohol, even in moderate amounts, poses serious risks to heart and liver health, challenging old beliefs about its safety and benefits.

TOP INSIGHT

Did You Know?
Heavy drinking can interfere with pregnancy prevention; on the other hand, Cannabis use does not show the same risk among women who are highly motivated to avoid it. #medindia #womenshealth #alcoholrisk #reproductivehealth #mentalhealth

How Alcohol Upsets Pregnancy Plans?

Women who drank a lot were 50% more likely to get pregnant within a year than those who drank little or not at all. The interesting fact here is, even though they desperately wanted to avoid pregnancy. Alcohol might affect more than just behavior; it influences their decision-making ability. The more they drank, the less control they had over preventing pregnancy.

Alcohol Self Screening Test
Take this anonymous self-test to evaluate your alcohol consumption and determine if your drinking pattern poses a risk for hazardous health conditions.

Cannabis Use- Misjudged or Milder?

Unlike alcohol, using cannabis did not raise the risk of an unplanned pregnancy. People who use cannabis regularly are more likely to actively avoid pregnancy and tend to stay mentally stable and decisive in their choices. This is a reminder to think again on how we talk about risks in health discussions.

Alcohol Use Disorder | Alcoholism
Alcohol use disorder or alcoholism is an inability to control drinking. It can cause short term and long term physical, as well as psychological effects on the patient.

Mind the Gap-High Intentions, Surprising Outcomes

More than half of the unplanned pregnancies happened among women who were very determined to avoid getting pregnant, and also drank a lot. This highlights the need for better support, more helpful advice and specific ways to reduce harm. Just because someone wants to avoid pregnancy doesn’t mean they’re fully safe, especially when alcohol is involved.

Top Doctors Call for Tougher Measures to Reduce Alcohol Related Harm
Doctors writing in this week’s Christmas issue of the BMJ call on the government to introduce tougher measures to reduce alcohol related harm.

A Wake-Up Call for Reproductive Health Providers

Clinicians and healthcare workers should closely watch women who drink a lot and really want to avoid getting pregnant. Giving them early advice and checking on their health can make a big difference. Because of the serious problems that can happen to babies from heavy drinking during pregnancy, acting quickly isn't just good—it's really important. Women need the right help, support, and care that's kind and understanding to help them achieve safe and healthy results.

Reference:

Alcohol and drug use and attainment of pregnancy preferences in the southwestern United States: A longitudinal cohort study - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40739595/ )

Source-Society for the Study of Addiction