Most people are aware that drinking alcohol during pregnancy can harm a baby and lead to foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), including foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). In 1981, the US Surgeon General issued a warning that alcohol use by women during pregnancy caused birth defects. This led to the belief that alcohol-related birth defects are solely caused by maternal alcohol use during pregnancy. However, new research suggests that a father’s drinking before conception may also affect a baby’s development, even if the mother does not drink during pregnancy.
Men are more likely to suffer from alcohol use disorder than women, yet when babies are born with alcohol-related birth defects, only the mother’s drinking habits are considered. Traditionally, medical advice and public health messaging have focused almost entirely on mothers, placing responsibility for alcohol-related birth defects solely on them.
The article by Scientific American highlights an important observation: not all women who drink during pregnancy give birth to children with FAS, and some children diagnosed with FAS are born to mothers who report no alcohol use. This inconsistency suggests that other factors, including paternal alcohol exposure, may contribute to risk. It explores how male drinking affects foetal development, focusing on male drinking before conception. This research demonstrates that male drinking before pregnancy can cause alcohol-related birth defects. Using animal models has shown that heavy drinking by males before conception can lead to changes in brain development, facial structure, growth, and organ development in their offspring. These changes closely resemble the features seen in babies diagnosed with foetal alcohol syndrome, even when the mother had no alcohol exposure during pregnancy. Other studies found behavioural changes in offspring of male mice who consumed alcohol, and clinical studies suggest paternal drinking increases the risk of heart defects in the offspring. This suggests that alcohol-related effects can begin before pregnancy even occurs.
Scientists now understand that sperm carry more than just genetic material. It also contains chemical signals, known as epigenetic markers, which can influence how a baby’s genes function. These signals can be affected by lifestyle factors such as alcohol consumption, stress, nutrition, and overall health. The research also showed that male alcohol exposure decreases the chance of pregnancy after in vitro fertilisation (IVF), and the more a man drinks, the lower the chances of his partner becoming pregnant.
The article argues that ignoring paternal drinking habits in public health messaging overlooks a significant contributing factor to foetal alcohol spectrum disorders, and that until doctors start asking fathers about their drinking, the contribution of paternal alcohol exposure to birth defects and child health will never be fully known. Men are statistically more likely than women to engage in binge drinking and heavy alcohol use, yet fathers are rarely included in preconception health advice or fertility counselling. Researchers believe this is a major gap in reproductive healthcare and public health education.
Foetal alcohol spectrum disorders can have lifelong effects, including learning difficulties, behavioural problems, physical abnormalities, and challenges with emotional regulation. The
