Recently, it has been found that the rate of abnormal semen among men who come to the male clinic for semen quality checks has increased significantly, and most of them mention drinking and socializing during the long holiday season. For many male friends, drinking is a necessity, but also a helplessness. As the saying goes, cigarettes are the bridge, wine is the road, wine has become a litmus test for modern men. It is not known that in addition to affecting the health of men, alcohol can also have a negative impact on male fertility, which can seriously lead to male infertility. The impact of alcohol on male fertility is mainly achieved through the following ways: 1, affecting the synthesis of sex hormones in the body, thus indirectly affecting the production of sperm A large number of studies have shown that male alcoholism can lead to disorders in the blood levels of sex hormones, mainly manifested as a decline in testosterone levels and an increase in estrogen levels. The mechanism is as follows: (1) alcohol can change the reductase and isoenzyme required for testosterone biosynthesis, leading to a decrease in androgen synthesis; (2) alcohol can make the body’s tissue conversion of estrogen hyperfunction, increasing the level of free estrogen in the blood; (3) alcohol reduces the binding ability of certain receptors in the body, reduces the responsiveness to gonadotropins, and inhibits testosterone synthesis. (2) Direct damage to the testicular spermatogenic epithelium, leading to degenerative changes in the gonads and testicular atrophy Studies have shown that 70 to 80% of men with alcoholism have varying degrees of testicular atrophy, and testicular volume can be reduced to 7 to 9 ml (normal value is 15 to 20 ml). Animal studies have shown that the morphology of the testicular varicocele changes and the spermatogenic epithelium becomes thinner in alcoholism, and these changes can lead to sperm disorders. 3. Alcohol can lead to decreased fertilization of sperm Sperm need to release acrosomal enzymes to dissolve the outer membrane of the egg (oocyte hyaline membrane) when they bind to the egg. The high estrogen level caused by alcohol can cause early release of sperm acrosome enzyme, and when it is really needed, fertilization cannot be completed because of acrosome enzyme deficiency. 4, alcohol on sperm morphology Alcohol can cause changes in sperm morphology resulting in an increase in deformed sperm. In addition to reduced fertilization ability, the integrity of the sperm DNA is also reduced. Even if the sperm can be combined with the egg, the probability of congenital malformations in the offspring increases accordingly, and even the birth of an imbecile. 5. Other pathways Studies have shown that chronic alcoholism can cause deficiency of vitamin A and the trace element zinc. Vitamin A is related to the development of spermatogenic epithelium; the biological role of vitamin A requires the participation of the trace element zinc; the lack of both can cause spermatogenic epithelial dysplasia, unable to produce sperm. More and more men have become aware of the adverse effects of alcohol on fertility and offspring development, and have consciously given up drinking liquor in their normal lives in favor of beer, as if beer can achieve the dual effect of satisfying their desires and not harming their health. In fact, beer also affects male fertility, after all, the main component of beer is still alcohol, and liquor is not significantly different, only the amount is different. British scientists have found that the isoprene-based trihydroxyflavanones in beer can mimic the function of estrogen, thus directly affecting male fertility. The study also found that it takes at least 3 months of conditioning for a man to return to his pre-drunken spermatogenic state. Therefore, alcoholic men who are planning to have children should stop drinking for at least 3 months before considering pregnancy to ensure the health of the fetus. The adverse effects of alcohol on male fertility are obvious, so men should remember not to drink too much!