It is an established fact that smoking is bad for female fertility. But only a small portion of the population knows that it is equally bad for male fertility. Leaving out the well-known health effects of smoking like lung cancer, heart disease, eye disease, gum disease, diabetes and respiratory problems, we will only discuss the effects of smoking over fertility in male and female.
According to BMA (British Medical Association), women who smoke have 40% lower chances of getting pregnant than the women who do not. Smoking decreases the estrogen levels which are responsible for the regulation of menstrual cycles and fetal development. It can make the vagina dry and also result in the destruction of the eggs in the ovaries, thus decreasing the egg count.
In some cases, smoking can affect the implanting of the embryo in the uterus. It can also cause genetic problems in the eggs which become problematic for the baby later on. And do not forget that smoking is way too dangerous for the fetus, so as soon as you discover your pregnancy you should stop immediately.
It is not just the women who should quit smoking when trying for a baby but also men. Researches show that smoking has an adverse effect on the male fertility and ejaculate volume too. It can also cause lower sperm count making it hard to impregnate the woman. The danger does not end here. Smoking can decrease the motility of the sperm or cause the sperm to grow genetically abnormal. Aside from erectile dysfunction, smoking causes around 1.2 lakh cases of incompetence among men (aged between 30 and 50). You should also check out Why the Cases for Erectile Dysfunction Are on Rise?
Faisal
