drugs before pregnancy

[no_face]

so my wife and I have decided to try for a baby (not out of complete conviction of wanting to be parents, but because we are quickly approaching the limit age to become so)

My question is for how long before starting trying for pregnancy we should be clean for - if at all.

We are not party animals anymore but we like having a good party once every month or so, mainly doing some ketamine and mdma, less occasionally some coke, acid or speed, and moderate alcohol consumption once or twice a week.

In her case she should probably stop drugs altogether from the time we start trying, in case she becomes pregnant. But should she stay fully clean of drugs/alcohol for a period prior to start trying? or would an occasional drug taking prior to pregnancy have no real effect on the development of the baby?

In my case (male), considering that sperm seems to be a couple of months old, could occasional drug taking like the one I described have any effect on the future baby? I am fully aware that drugs/alcohol might reduce the strength of the sperm and therefore reduce the chances of pregnancy, but I can live with that. What I really want to know is the potential impact on the baby.

Thanks everyone for your feedback

 

[Pagey]

Okay I might be wrong about this, but as far as I know -
Not all drugs will find their way into your semen in the first place - marijuana, for instance, doesn't. However, ketamine, MDMA, alcohol and coke do. I don't know about acid. Those four drugs I mentioned, although it's rare, can have an impact on the baby even if taken just prior to pregnancy so I would definitely recommend you lay off them in the couple months before she tries to get pregnant. I don't know how it is for her but I would expect it to be just as harmful to the baby, if not more.
And yes drugs will greatly reduce her chances of getting pregnant in the first place.

Also, if you don't really want to have a child at this point in your life I just want to say that adoption is always a future option rather than making this gigantic commitment at the wrong time!

 

[llama112]

I'd do some research about each individual drug. Many drugs are harmful for the baby. I would *guess* that weed and mushroom, more "natural" type drugs would be okay. Again, PLEASE do research on each individual drug though! I am NOT an expert on this.
I would stop doing any drugs that could have an effect on the baby immediately prior to trying for the baby.
This might be better suited for another forum. It is related to relationships and sex but the question is more about the actual drug interactions. Might move this over to another forum?

 

[Lysis]

You really need to ask a doctor this question. This is one of those things where anything said on this forum should be researched and then the question asked of your doctor. Especially since we're talking about the future of another human being.

 

[Pagey]

I'm moving this over to BDD OP, you'll get more knowledgeable answers

 

[no_face]

thanks for the responses

@llama112, please feel free to move the thread to a more appropiate forum. thank you. I was not sure where to post it but whilst searching for similar posts i found some old ones about drugs during pregnancy here, that is why I did it

just in case it was not completely clear, the question is about the potential impact of drugs before starting trying for a baby, obviously we would not do it once we start trying, the question is how long before we should stop drugs completely, two weeks, two months, six months? Also, please note that I am not talking of regular daily or even weekly use but once every three to five weeks, and moderate alcohol use. Is it ok to have two glasses of wine whilst you are trying?

She has now stopped taking the anticonceptive pill and it is recommended to wait about three months after that before starting trying. Now the question is if during these three months for example would be ok to have a drug induced party at NYE or not.

@Pagey, i quite agree with adoption as an option, however my wife completely opposes it...

 

[Mr.Scagnattie]

I think obviously the longer she is clean for, the healthier her body is, the better it's going to be... but, like others have said.. this is a big deal. I mean, you're talking about bringing a new life into this world.. I would go talk to a doctor and give him/her very specific information on both of your drug use histories and see what his recommendation is. Don't take the word of some people online in regards to something this serious.

Good luck and congrats in advance. It's a big decision.

 

[Jabberwocky]

If I were trying to have a child (personally, I have no experience or knowledge on the matter) would take a 6 month break from everything. That may not be necessary however.

This would also give me some clean time from drugs, and a chance to step back. I wouldn't want to raise a child or bring one into this world when I was high or fucked up for its time on the planet. I'd have to be clean myself to raise a child, and there's no exception to that. I think it's irresponsible to be dependant on drugs when you have a family or child, and it's a big decision in your life. For the child to have the best chances it needs sober pareńs and a sober environment to grow up in. I dot mean to be offensive in any way - but that's personally how I see it. Addicts raising children is something I will never understand.

However, you say you only drink occasionally and I can see the real harm in that.

 

[blight12]

A tweaker once told me that doing drugs during pregnancy builds a natural tolerance to those drugs for later in life.
Sorta like you get the kid high now, get it out of his system now so he doesnt do it later in life when he has enough money to kill himself.

I wonder if you can do that with other things like illnesses and the like?

Anyways, even though the logic is flawless, i dont think there is any truth to this so please dont take the risk, just in case. Besides Babies + drugs + nearby vital organs = chucky

 

[tackyspiral]

Basically the stance most baby reading material takes is dont risk it......
Besides the added anxiety really sucks ....
However a couple glasses of wine while she is trying to concieve probably not a big deal

 

[Swimmingdancer]

I think it would be ideal to not use any drugs for a couple months before becoming pregnant.

Drugs can affect things like hormones and neurotransmitters and the mother's physical and mental state can greatly affect a developing fetus, so I think it's important to be off them well ahead of time so there are no residual effects caused by drugs still being in the system (some drugs can stay in the body for a very long time) or effects on the brain and body from recovering from drug use. Although it's also very important for her to be happy and not anxious or depressed both in order to conceive and for the well-being of the fetus. A glass of wine now and then (not binge drinking) is not likely a big deal, but doing cocaine, MDMA, ketamine and speed I would definitely nix. I have no idea about the LSD, but personally I would avoid it just to be on the safe side. There have been some studies that found smoking cannabis, on the other hand, while pregnant could even be beneficial.

As for you, it is less well understood the possible impact that drug use can have on a baby from the father. But studies are showing a father’s drug use leading up to conception can mutate the DNA which has a direct result on the physical and mental capabilities of the child, or mutate the sperm causing miscarriage.

Alcohol is known to mutate sperm, which can not only affect the chances of conception but the actual development of the fetus. And animal studies found that even after a significant period of not using alcohol male rats who had drank alcohol still produced offspring suffering abnormal development, so I would say it's best to seriously limit your alcohol intake for a good period of time before conceiving. In his report, "The Effects of Paternal Exposure to Alcohol on Offspring Development," Dr. Theodore J. Cicero suggests the possibility of three factors which may be affected by male alcohol consumption: First, alcohol could affect characteristics of the sperm, perhaps mutating genetic material. Second, inferior sperm may be "chosen" to fertilize the egg because only a limited number are available following exposure to alcohol. Third, alcohol could alter the chemical composition of the semen, which may influence the activity of ejaculated sperm. In any of these ways, the sperm is harmed by alcohol, which in turn, can cause a negative impact to the development of the fetus. I would assume other drugs can do similar things.

Smoking cigarettes, for example, has been shown to affect the sperm, and in more ways then just sperm count. Smoking can produce free radicals which damage cell parts and the chromosomes in sperm. The deformed sperm are more likely to cause miscarriage and problems for the fetus, lower birth weight and increased risk of disease in babies. I know you didn't mention smoking, just using it as an example to show how drugs can affect more than just likelihood of conception. Alcohol and cigarettes have just been the best-studied drugs in this regard.

When a man uses cocaine before conception, the cocaine has apparently been found to bind to sperm and thus expose the fetus. Even less is known about the effects of the other drugs you mentioned, I don't think it has been studied but I would assume they can all be damaging in some way or another.

Another reason to quit in advance is that that will give you both time to adjust to not using drugs anymore and make it easier to avoid drug use while you're trying to conceive and while the mother is pregnant.

A tweaker once told me that doing drugs during pregnancy builds a natural tolerance to those drugs for later in life.
Sorta like you get the kid high now, get it out of his system now so he doesnt do it later in life when he has enough money to kill himself.

I highly doubt that, people whose parents used drugs are more likely to use drugs later in life. I think that was just him tweaking out. Plus even IF that were true it is absolutely not worth the risks on development from using drugs while pregnant.

 

[blight12]

^^

Good point! Untrustworthy tweakers.

Another thing, if amps are safe for the conception, can i say that an amp fueled multi day conception session should prove to be very effective in achieving the desired goal. In fact i wouldn't be surprised if the chance of twins or more was significantly increased. I think conceiving on drugs is safe, just check this first.