Smoking And It's Impact on Fertility Part II

It is common knowledge that tobacco smoke contains several substances, many of which are toxic. Besides all the other reasons why smoking is considered harmful to health, studies show that tobacco smoke definitely has a negative impact on fertility for both women and men.

In women, smoking compromises their menstrual health and their entire reproductive system. Toxins present in the smoke have a negative effect on female sexual organs. Smoking causes up to a 22% reduction in a woman’s fertility. Several studies have been conducted on the subject and the findings in almost all of them agree that women smokers who plan to have babies immediately or even in the future, should quit smoking.

Smoking has been found to negatively impact a woman’s ability to become pregnant. Women who smoke can take up to two months longer than non-smokers to conceive. They also have a lower chance (40%) of getting pregnant. Smoking can reduce a woman’s ovarian reserve and damage the quality of the eggs she produces. It affects the maturing of the eggs and the ovulation process as also, the ability of the egg to be fertilized. Smoking can also bring forward the onset of menopause, in some cases by as much as two years.

The success of in vitro fertilization procedures is also greatly impacted among women who smoke - fewer eggs are retrievable, successful fertilization rates are lowered and there is an increased rate of miscarriages. It has been found that smoking causes a reduction in blood flow which in turn affects tubal motility and successful implantation of the embryo during in-vitro fertilization. Smoking is believed to increase the chances of tubal pregnancies as well.

It is believed that smoking can have many harmful effects on the fetus too, during pregnancy. These range from reduced birth weight, fetal malformation such as cleft palate or lip, increased spontaneous miscarriages and increased chances of further complications in the pregnancy. There is a lot of evidence regarding the risks of smoking during pregnancy leading to higher mortality and the baby developing serious respiratory infections. It's also believed that children of smokers have a greater chance of developing cancer than children of non-smokers.

Smoking is equally bad news for men. It adversely affects sperm production and can be a precipitating factor in preventing successful fertilization. Smoking affects blood circulation in men which can cause erectile dysfunctions as also, negatively impacting his reproductive organs. Smoking can alter hormone production and increase the risk of chromosomal damage in the sperm which in turn could lead to genetic abnormalities in the offspring or increase miscarriage rates.

If you are planning on having a baby, it is important to establish and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Besides cutting out alcohol, taking the right vitamins and other supplements, eating healthy and exercising, included is giving up smoking if you are in the habit of doing so. In fact, it is recommended that you quit as soon as you decide on getting pregnant, and not just wait until your pregnancy is confirmed.

Quitting smoking can have a beneficial effect very quickly. Quitting increases a woman’s chances of getting pregnant and women who have quit smoking for a year, regain the ability to become pregnant in the same time frame as non-smokers. Giving up smoking is not easy and once you’ve decided to quit, it's important to take all the help you can get to be successfully free of the habit. Create a plan and take the support of your family, your fertility doctor, nurse, counselor and everyone else who can help you stay tobacco free – it’s your fertility at stake and the future of your unborn child.