About That Study on Pregnancy and Red Wine

Written by Madeline Puckette

A study came out today in American Society for Reproductive Medicine that showed a positive correlation between ovarian counts in women and moderate red wine consumption.

Red Wine and Pregnancy

Red Wine and Pregnancy Health Illustration by Wine Folly

What Does it Mean?

Drinking more than five servings of red wine per month is associated with increased antral follicles (microscopically small sleeping eggs in the ovary). Currently, the antral follicle count is one way doctors determine fertility.

Yay! Go out and drink red wine and make babies!

Wait just one minute!

What other news reports on this finding might not tell you is that the correlation is considered not significant. The statistical analysis is close, but not quite the necessary p=0.05 that statisticians need to declare, “Eureka!” That said, red wine performed about 14 times better than white wine, beer, and spirits in “fertility” tests.

rabbit-in-clothes-wine-hipster-illustration

Researchers were surprised. The study’s original hypothesis was simply to see if alcohol reduced ovarian egg counts. Wine wasn’t the only beverage tested; some women drank beer and others drank spirits. Researchers don’t know why wine performed better than other drinks. The current theory is that resveratrol has something to do with it, but we doubt this, given the incredibly low amount of resveratrol found in red wine. Perhaps condensed tannins are playing a role?

The good news is something happened that was out of the ordinary and it was observed in a controlled setting. Now more research can be done assessing what specifically is in red wine that is helping women’s egg counts.

What Do We Think About Red Wine and Getting Pregnant?

This study supports our growing theory that moderate red wine consumption (one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men) does not impede a healthy lifestyle. So, if you currently enjoy a glass of wine before sex, it might do more than get you in the mood.


the-health-benefits-of-red-wine

Written byMadeline Puckette

James Beard Award-winning author and Wine Communicator of the Year. I co-founded Wine Folly to help people learn about wine. @WineFolly