Non-Alcoholic Beer and Mocktails While Trying to Conceive

Non-alcoholic beer, alcohol-free spirits and mocktail menus have exploded in the last few years, which is good news if you're trying to conceive. You can still have something cold and festive in your hand at a party without drinking. But "non-alcoholic" doesn't always mean "zero," and a mocktail isn't automatically a better choice just because it's alcohol-free. Here's how to read the labels and what to watch for.

Contents

• Why alcohol matters while you're trying
• What the labels actually mean
• When labels and contents don't match
• Kombucha and other fermented drinks
• What to watch for in mocktails
• For the male partner
• Making it easy socially

Why alcohol matters while you're trying

The CDC's position is direct: there is no known safe amount of alcohol use during pregnancy or when you're trying to get pregnant, and all types of alcohol, including wine and beer, can be harmful. The reason this applies before a positive test is timing. Harm can occur before someone knows they're pregnant, and in a typical cycle you won't know for a couple of weeks after conception.

It's worth separating that from the question of whether alcohol makes it harder to conceive. A large Danish study of 6,120 women planning pregnancy, published in the BMJ in 2016, found that women drinking fewer than 14 servings a week were no less likely to conceive than women who didn't drink, while heavier drinking was associated with lower fertility. Even so, the researchers advised couples to avoid alcohol during the fertile window until pregnancy is ruled out, because an embryo may be especially vulnerable in the first weeks.

So the case for swapping drinks is mainly about protecting a possible early pregnancy, not about a few drinks ruining your odds. That's also why the label details below matter more for the partner who could become pregnant.

What the labels actually mean

In the U.S., beer and other malt beverages are labeled under rules from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB):

The practical takeaway: if a label says "non-alcoholic," it may contain a small amount of alcohol. If you want none at all, look for "alcohol-free" or a stated 0.0% ABV. "Low alcohol" or "session" products are regular alcoholic drinks for your purposes.

Is a 0.5% beer a problem? We couldn't find research that defines a safe or unsafe amount at that level for conception or early pregnancy, and the CDC's guidance doesn't carve out exceptions. Choosing 0.0% products removes the question entirely. If you prefer a particular 0.5% beer, it's a reasonable thing to ask your clinician about.

When labels and contents don't match

Labels can also be wrong. Researchers with the Motherisk program at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children bought 45 drinks labeled non-alcoholic or low-alcohol from local grocers and tested their ethanol content. Thirteen contained more alcohol than their labels stated, and three drinks sold as non-alcoholic contained nearly 2% ethanol. The researchers warned that pregnant women looking for substitutes "may be misled by these labels."

That was an older Canadian study, and U.S. rules require the actual alcohol content of "non-alcoholic" beer not to exceed the labeled amount. But it's a reminder that "non-alcoholic" is a category with some wiggle room, while 0.0% from a reputable brand is the closest you'll get to certainty.

Kombucha and other fermented drinks

Kombucha is often treated as a healthy mocktail, but it's fermented with sugar and yeast, and fermentation can continue after bottling. The TTB says kombucha that was under 0.5% alcohol when bottled becomes subject to alcohol rules if continued fermentation raises it to 0.5% or more at any time after bottling. That means the alcohol level in the bottle you drink isn't guaranteed to match the label. If you're aiming for zero, kombucha is one to skip during the window when you could be newly pregnant, or to discuss with your clinician.

What to watch for in mocktails

An alcohol-free drink can still contain things worth thinking about while you're trying:

Caffeine and energy mixers

Some mocktails use cold brew, espresso, energy drinks or guarana. ACOG's committee opinion says moderate caffeine intake in pregnancy, under 200 mg a day, does not appear to be a major contributing factor in miscarriage or preterm birth. If you're keeping to that limit, count caffeinated mocktails along with your coffee.

"Functional" herbs and adaptogens

Many new non-alcoholic drinks are marketed with adaptogens and botanicals for calm or focus. Ashwagandha is a common one. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements says some experts advise against ashwagandha in pregnancy, France's food safety agency has recommended against it for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and it has been linked to rare cases of liver injury. Most of these herbs simply haven't been studied in pregnancy. If the ingredient list reads like a supplement label, treat it like one and run it past your clinician.

Cannabis and hemp drinks

THC beverages are sometimes shelved next to NA beer and marketed as alcohol alternatives. ACOG's committee opinion says women who are pregnant or contemplating pregnancy should be encouraged to stop using marijuana. A cannabis drink isn't a substitute for alcohol while trying to conceive.

Sugar

Many bar mocktails are built on syrups, juice and soda. One isn't a big deal. Several a week adds up, and sugar-sweetened drinks are one of the easier things to trim if you're also working on the rest of your diet; our guide to ultra-processed food and fertility explains why that category is getting attention.

For the male partner

The "no known safe amount" guidance is about pregnancy, so it's aimed at the partner who could become pregnant. For men, the question is semen quality. A 2017 meta-analysis in Reproductive BioMedicine Online pooled 15 studies of 16,395 men and found that alcohol intake was associated with lower semen volume and fewer normally shaped sperm. The difference was larger between occasional and daily drinkers than between non-drinkers and occasional drinkers, which the authors read as suggesting moderate drinking didn't clearly harm semen measures. They stopped short of recommending limits beyond avoiding heavy drinking, pending more research on actual pregnancy outcomes.

In practice, that makes NA and alcohol-free beer a useful tool for men who usually drink most days: swapping some or all of those drinks moves him out of the daily-drinker group without giving up the ritual. Sperm take roughly three months to develop, so changes now show up in a semen analysis later. Our male fertility diet plan and howtohaveababy.com's guide to improving sperm health cover the other habits that pair well with cutting back.

Solidarity also helps. Many couples find it easier when both partners switch, at least during the fertile window and the two-week wait.

Making it easy socially

• Order first and keep it simple. "I'll have the alcohol-free IPA" is all you need to say.
• Bring your own. A six-pack of 0.0% beer or a bottle of alcohol-free sparkling wine to a party means you're not stuck with juice.
• You don't owe anyone an explanation. "Not drinking this month" is a complete answer.
• Plan for the hard nights. Weddings and holidays are easier if you've decided in advance what you'll drink and who knows.

If you're not sure whether you're actively trying or "not trying, not preventing," fertilestart.com's guide to NTNP vs. actively trying can help you decide when these swaps make sense for you. And if alcohol has been hard to cut back on, tell your clinician; support is part of preconception care, not a judgment.

Sources

• CDC. About Alcohol Use During Pregnancy. cdc.gov
• Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). Malt Beverage Alcohol Content. ttb.gov
• TTB. Kombucha. ttb.gov
• The Globe and Mail. Misleading beverage labels put fetuses at risk (on Motherisk testing of 45 non- and low-alcohol beverages). theglobeandmail.com
• Boston University. New research on drinking and fertility (on Mikkelsen EM, et al. BMJ. 2016). bu.edu
• Ricci E, Beitawi SA, Cipriani S, et al. Semen quality and alcohol intake: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Reprod Biomed Online. 2017;34(1):38–47. University of Milan repository
• ACOG Committee Opinion No. 462: Moderate caffeine consumption during pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol. 2010;116(2 Pt 1):467–468. PubMed 20664420
• ACOG Committee Opinion No. 722: Marijuana use during pregnancy and lactation. Obstet Gynecol. 2017;130:e205–9. PDF
• NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Ashwagandha: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. ods.od.nih.gov