Heavy drinking may dampen sex life - study (Reuters) Updated: 2005-10-28 07:46
Problem drinking may dampen both a man's sex life and his chances of having
children, according to a new study.
Researchers in India found that men being treated for alcoholism had lower
testosterone levels and more sperm abnormalities than non-drinkers did. They
also had a far higher rate of erectile dysfunction (ED) - 71 percent, versus 7
percent of abstainers.
Some past studies have suggested that heavy drinking can take a toll on men's
reproductive health. One recent study found that couples had a higher
miscarriage risk if the man had consumed 10 or more drinks a week around the
time of conception.
Also, it's known that alcoholic men can develop signs of low testosterone,
including shrunken testicles and enlarged breasts.
The new findings add to evidence that heavy drinking, at least among
alcoholics, may harm both men's sex lives and their fertility, according to the
study authors, led by Dr. K. R. Muthusami of Kovai Medical Center and Hospital
in Coimbatore, India.
"Men are advised to refrain from chronic alcohol consumption if they want to
procreate and lead a normal sex life," the researchers conclude in the medical
journal Fertility & Sterility.
On the other hand, it's unlikely that light drinking would have any
significant effect on men's fertility, Muthusami told Reuters Health.
The study included 66 non-smoking men who had sought treatment for
alcoholism, along with 30 non-smokers who had never consumed alcohol. On
average, alcoholic men had a significantly lower sperm count, but more abnormal
sperm, as well as lower testosterone levels and changes in other reproductive
hormones.
According to the researchers, these findings likely reflect direct damage to
the testicles caused by excessive alcohol. Alcohol, Muthusami said, enters the
testicles directly and can both cut testosterone production and harm the quality
of semen.
But the potential harm is not limited to men. Other studies, the researcher
noted, have found heavy drinking to impair women's reproductive health as
well.
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