There is little doubt that alcohol affects male fertility negatively. The more pertinent question is : how much alcohol is too much to threaten fertility and what damage to fertility will too much alcohol cause?

So how much is too much? Studies have shown that drinking more than four ounces of alcohol a day is bad for your reproductive system. As an example, a bottle of beer or a glass of wine contains about half an ounce of alcohol. Alcohol concentration depends largely on the kind of drink that is consumed but taking beer as a guide, 8 bottles of beer a day will give you 4 ounces of alcohol content. This is certainly going to do harm to your fertility.

Here's how alcohol actually affects male fertility :-

1. Alcoholism (excessive consumption of alcohol) raises the estrogen level in men. This will in turn interfere with his hormones and sperm development. Why? Because alcohol is a toxin that tends to kill sperm generating cells in men. Worse still, chronic alcoholism can cause atrophy in the testicles, gynecomastia and the lack of sexual interest.

2. Excessive alcohol consumption causes a disorder in the gonads resulting in changes in the structure of the testicles and decline in the T serum level. A drop in the is T serum level can cause male infertility.

4. Excessive alcohol alters the regular oval head and a straight tail of the healthy sperm cell. This change in sperm shape can seriously compromise the viability of the spermatozoa. Also, chronic alcoholism damages the sperm morphology that often has irreversible effects.

(Note: Drinking too much alcohol can also cause impotence and liver damage)