You may feel that drinking alcohol increases your sexual desire and gives you more confidence.
But alcohol can negatively affect your sex life and fertility.
How alcohol can affect sex and fertility
Alcohol can cause long-term problems with sex and fertility.
Problems with erections
Drinking large amounts of alcohol can make it hard to get or keep an erection. This is called erectile dysfunction (ED).
Alcohol interferes with the messengers in the brain that tell the penis to fill with blood.
It can also happen if alcohol reduces the amount of testosterone you produce. Testosterone is the hormone that controls male sexual functions.
ED is normally a temporary problem. Talk to your GP if it continues. It can be a sign of another condition, such as diabetes.
Problems with orgasms
Alcohol can interfere with your ability to feel sexual arousal (turned on). It does this by interfering with the signals between the brain and the genitals.
After heavy drinking you may find it:
- harder to have an orgasm, or have less intense orgasms
- hard to ejaculate (come) or may ejaculate too fast
Lower sex drive (libido)
Drinking too much over a long period of time can lead to a lower sex drive (libido). This is because it reduces your levels of testosterone. It can affect men and women.
Shrinking of sex organs
Heavy drinking over a long time can cause your testicles and penis to shrink. This can happen because alcohol lowers testosterone.
Reduced fertility
Lowered testosterone in men can affect sperm production. This can reduce fertility.
Alcohol use in women can disrupt the balance between hormones such as testosterone, oestrogen and progesterone. This may affect ovulation and the menstrual cycle, and make it harder to conceive.
The risk is greater with heavier drinking. But even small amounts of alcohol can affect fertility in some women.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
Alcohol lowers your inhibitions and affects your judgement. This increases your chances of having unprotected sex. This puts you at risk of STIs.
Reduce your risk of harm
Reduce your risk of alcohol-related harm.
Stick to the recommended weekly low-risk guidelines.
The less you drink, the lower your risk of harm from alcohol.