Is alcohol kills the egg

Layfhaker asked Elena Berezovskaya, gynecologist and author of books about women's health and pregnancy, to confirm or dispel the myth of the terrible effects of alcohol.

We often come across the statement that women should not drink alcohol at all, because the supply of eggs is formed once and for all life, and alcohol destroy the egg. Even a glass of champagne at the outlet will lead to disastrous consequences.

We believe that drinking is bad, but not like categorical statements, so we decided to find out whether or not it is a myth.

Ova really are once and for all life. They appear in the body of the girl before I was born, and then their stock just consumed.

Reproductive cells (oocytes) are follicles - vesicles which form ovaries. About once a month matures the egg that comes out of the follicle. This process is known as ovulation and causes menstrual cycle.

Alcohol is really a negative effect on ovulation and fertility, that is, the ability to conceive a child. These observations indicate that due to the frequent use of alcohol disturbed menstrual cycle

But we found no evidence that alcohol destroys the egg and causes malformations of the fetus, many years later after its use. Therefore, we asked questions to the expert.

Helena Petrovna Berezovskaya

Physician-researcher, obstetrician-gynecologist, the founder and head of the International Academy of Healthy Life, Toronto, Canada. Official site.

- Helena Petrovna, supply of eggs formed in utero and for life, but they mature in the follicles. Can alcohol to penetrate the follicles? Is it true that any amount of alcohol in some way damage the egg?

- Approximately 20% of alcohol is quickly absorbed through the upper gastrointestinal tract, and the remaining 80% - through the intestines. Indeed, the alcohol in an unmodified form can easily penetrate into tissues and body fluids through the blood vessels. Therefore we can assume that alcohol can penetrate the ovarian tissue, including follicle.

However, no one has ever determined the level of alcohol in the ovaries, especially in the follicular fluid. In modern medicine there are no data what dose of alcohol penetrates the ovum and whether it leads to damage.

- If you think about the health of future children, but when you can still enjoy a glass of wine, and when in any event it is impossible?

- It can be argued that taking alcohol in any form, even in small doses it is undesirable when planning pregnancy.

But, as statistics show the countries where wine and weak alcoholic drinks are a long tradition of national cuisines and human nutrition, the level of children born with congenital alcohol syndrome is not higher than in countries where alcohol is consumed in smaller amount.

We have no data, how much alcohol is safe in view of the type of alcoholic beverage. Although we know that alcohol is dangerous for parents of future offspring.

- How do the egg are protected from the influence of harmful factors: smoking, stress, poor eating habits?

- Nature has given millions of eggs a woman considering the fact that during his life will lose thousands every month. Of the three factors listed the most dangerous - smoking, as the body gets about 100 substances contained in cigarettes. Many of them are toxic.

Stress and improper diet (especially fasting) direct influence on the ovum does not have, but can lead to disruption of the maturation of germ cells, to inhibit or disable reproduction program embedded in the brain person.

If you want to learn more about women's health and get affordable answers to their questions, we recommend you read the book by Elena Berezovskaya.

Buy the book '1000 Questions and Answers on gynecology "