Potential dads should lay off the alcohol before conceiving a child, new research says. (Credit: G-Stock Studio/Shutterstock)

We’ve known for decades that pregnant women who drink alcohol put their baby at risk of developmental problems. New research out today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology examined a connection that gets less attention — dad’s drinking habits.

Paternal drinking in the three months before conception was associated with a 44 percent increase in risk of co