Trying to Get Pregnant? Here’s Why BOTH of You Need to Stop Drinking

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Scientists uncovered a bunch of things, including the fact that a newborn can be diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), even when the mom has never had a drink—eek! Scarily enough, up to 75 percent of babies with FASD have dads who are alcoholics.

And it doesn’t stop there: Researchers found that fathers who are older are more likely to have a child with schizophrenia, autism, or birth defects. A father who is obese is also more likely to have children at a higher risk for diabetes, obesity, and brain cancer. And a dad who is under a lot of psychosocial stress can have kids with “defective behavioral traits” (we’re not exactly sure what that is, but it doesn’t sound great).

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Alcohol, in particular, seems to be an issue: A dad who drinks too much puts his kid at risk for a decreased newborn weight, smaller brain, and impaired brain function.

A lot of these issues have been pinned on the mother in the past—specifically on her age when she gets pregnant and her health habits during her pregnancy—so it’s kind of nice to see that it’s not all on us. That said, it looks like guys need to try to get it together health-wise when it’s baby-making time…