Could smoking negatively affect fertility?
Most people understand that smoking increases the risk of heart disease and respiratory disease. Many people don't realize that smoking can also lead to infertility problems in both men and women. Erectile dysfunction (impotence) and the risk of pregnancy complications are also higher in people who smoke.
Will smoking affect the quality of eggs and sperm?
Chemicals such as nicotine, cyanide and carbon dioxide in cigarette smoke increase the likelihood of egg loss. Unfortunately, when the egg dies, it cannot be restored or transferred. This means that women who smoke begin to menopause 1 to 4 years earlier (compared to nonsmokers).
Male smokers may suffer from deterioration in sperm quality - have lower sperm count, sperm with reduced motility, and higher numbers of irregularly shaped sperm. Smoking can also lower the ability of sperm to fertilize eggs.
How can smoking affect my fertility?
Conception in women who smoke is less effective than non-smoking women. The rates of infertility in both men and women are almost twice the rate of infertility in nonsmokers. The risk of infertility rises with the daily increase in cigarette consumption.
Even such a method of infertility treatment as IVF cannot fully guarantee overcoming the negative consequences of smoking. Smokers require more ovarian stimulation drugs during IVF, yet they still have fewer eggs during the retrieval procedure, and the likelihood of pregnancy is 30% lower than non-smokers who have undergone IVF.
Due to the fact that smoking destroys the genetic material of eggs and sperm, the rate of miscarriages and the rate of birth defects in children of smokers is higher. Smokeless tobacco also increases the likelihood of miscarriage. Women who smoke are more likely to conceive a child with the wrong number of chromosomes (for example, Down's syndrome) than non-smokers. Ectopic pregnancies and premature births are also more common in women who smoke.
Can Smoking Affect My Children?
Men whose mothers smoked half a pack of cigarettes a day (or more) have lower sperm count. Smoking during pregnancy can also lead to intrauterine growth retardation. Low birth weight babies are at risk for health problems later in life (such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease). Children whose parents smoke are at increased risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and asthma.
I don't smoke, but my partner smokes. Can secondhand smoke affect my fertility?
Women who are passive smokers can be exposed to all of the above health risks.
If I quit smoking, will it increase my chances of conceiving and having a healthy baby?
Yes. Quitting smoking can improve fertility and reduce the death of eggs that are not being restored. The rate of pregnancy complications due to smoking decreases as a person stops smoking.
Quitting smoking can be very, very difficult, but research shows that the chances of success are significantly higher when you work with a health care provider and / or are in a support group. Sometimes, temporary use of a nicotine replacement (such as nicotine gum or patch) and / or the drug bupropion can increase the chances of smoking cessation, and if necessary, you can use this remedy while trying to conceive. Although it is generally not advised to take it during pregnancy, you may want to consider using it with your healthcare provider after analyzing the possible risks and benefits.
