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WATCH: Trying to become a dad? You may want to put that drink down

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In men, abstaining from alcohol should begin months before a baby is even conceived.
In men, abstaining from alcohol should begin months before a baby is even conceived.

The list of what food is and isn't allowed for a woman hoping to become pregnant can be headache-inducing, but hardly ever do we note heavy restrictions placed on a man trying to conceive. 

And while the damaging impact of alcohol use by a pregnant woman has been well-documented, a new study says a man's drinking habits also prove detrimental to an unborn baby, except that in men, abstaining from alcohol should begin months before a baby is even conceived. 


Trying to conceive? Follow the Parent24 Fertility hub for everything from fertility treatment, FAQs and more. 

Published recently by the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, the study encompasses the findings of more than 55 studies and included data taken from well over 300 000 participants. 

The study concluded that the more a man drank prior to conception, the greater the chances his baby would be born with a congenital heart disease (CHD), urging males trying to conceive to abstain from alcohol six months before conception. 

The study showed that even as little alcohol as 375 grams of alcohol a day has the potential to compromise sperm. 

Watch the video above for more. 

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