BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Conception Convincing hubby to lay off alcohol

I'm getting really frustrated. We've been through this over and over and each time we talk about it, it seems like it is the first time I'm asking him to give up alcohol for a few weeks while we try to conceive. He, very sweetly, says that he was intending to join me in giving up alcohol if I happen to get pregnant. I keep telling him that he doesn't need to do that - I don't mind if he has a drink and I can't. But he wants to have a drink now - I can't understand why he would rather choose to indulge for a few weeks and give up for nine months, rather than abstaining for just a few weeks beforehand.

Every time we discuss this I have to go over the reasons that alcohol affects the quality and performance of the sperm and I can't seem to make him understand that he needs to not drink for quite a while, and that having one drink each night with dinner is still enough to affect his sperm.

Anyone have any ideas? Am I being too fussy about this?

Elle, I really hate to say this to you (becasue I love you to death)

but either your hubby doesn't actually think y'all are going to get pregnant - so he won't have to follow through with that plan, or he just won't follow through anyway and say something along the lines of "well, it's the thought that counts"

It may be time for your Doctor to say straight to him, "give up the alcohol while trying to conceive". Maybe hearing it from the "professional" will carry more weight.

I know what you mean Michelle.

We went to a pre-conception workshop at a hospital and I tried to raise the issue of the guys going off alcohol pre-con. While they did concur, they were a bit wishy-washy about it, saying that it was more important for the woman to be off alcohol. At the time, it seemed to sink in for him, but I obviously didn't hammer the point home well enough, because a few months later he seems to have forgotten that discussion.

I think I now understand how women become nagging wives! I normally wouldn't dream of telling him what to do, so this is really hard for me to push for.