The Effect of Smoking on Fertility

Smoking can impact nearly every part of your body and lifestyle, including your ability to conceive. 

The harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke can negatively impact your fertility, making it harder to start a family.

Smoking doesn’t just increase your risk of various cancers—it can also seriously affect your chances of having a child, whether you’re a man or a woman. 

So, how exactly does smoking affect your chances of having kids? And why does it become harder to conceive after years of smoking? 

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More importantly, can quitting turn things around and boost your fertility?

Let’s dive into it and find out.

Reduced Fertility Rates in Both Men and Women

Are you and your partner thinking about starting a family but still smoking regularly? 

It might be time to reconsider those unhealthy habits and quit while you still can. 

Whether you’re a man or a woman, smoking can seriously lower your fertility and make it harder to reach that dream of a big, happy family.

For men, smoking can lead to a lower sperm count, and the sperm that survive often have abnormal DNA, which limits their ability to fertilise an egg. 

Men who smoke are also more likely to face issues like erectile dysfunction.

For women, smoking can derail ovarian function, leading to irregular and often painful periods.

Research shows that women who smoke tend to have fewer and poorer-quality eggs compared to non-smokers.

If you’ve been trying for a baby longer than expected, it might be a sign that quitting smoking is not only good for your health but essential for your future family’s wellbeing. 

Negatively Affects Hormone Production

Hormones in both men and women play a role in regulating everything from libido and metabolism to blood pressure.

When these hormone levels are not in the perfect balance, it’s not just your mood and sleep that takes a hit—your overall well-being can suffer too.

Disrupted hormones can throw a wrench in your plans when it comes to conceiving and starting a family.

Damage to the Reproductive System

Women who smoke often end up having issues with their reproductive system, especially as they age.

Smoking has been shown to reduce the function of your fallopian tubes, which are essential for pregnancy and supporting a healthy fetus. 

Research from the Australian Centre for Disease Control found that women who smoke are more likely to experience ectopic pregnancies, where the pregnancy develops outside the womb.

This can be incredibly dangerous for both the mother and the baby. Not only is there a higher risk of losing the baby, but the whole labour process becomes much riskier for the mother as well.

Malforms Sperm DNA

In men, chemicals in cigarette smoke cause significant damage to the DNA of their sperm. Studies have shown that men who are currently smoking have lower sperm count and sperm that have abnormal DNA chain structures.

Men who keep smoking also have a high risk of, or may already have, erectile dysfunction. Surely enough, stopping smoking can help to recover from this condition and may help restore sperm count and DNA quality.

Reduces Egg Count

It’s highly likely your eggs and egg count are in bad shape if you keep on smoking. It has been found that women who actively smoke have both a poor reproductive system and a lower count and quality of egg cells. 

While quitting smoking will surely improve the function and regularity of periods, it cannot recover the damaged or dead egg cells from cigarette smoking. With every puff you take, you’re lowering the chances of fertilising a healthy egg.

Secondhand Smoking and Fertility

Passive smoking or secondhand smoke affects the health and fertility of everyone. If your spouse is smoking indoors, it affects both your fertility rates. It’s probably one of the biggest reasons you can’t conceive.

Along with improving fertility rates, you and your spouse should stop smoking for good to keep yourself healthy. 

In as little as 6 days, you’ll have a better mood, improve your blood circulation, and see some hormone benefits. Imagine what would happen if you quit for a month, a year, or even a decade.

More Reasons to Quit Smoking

Here are some more reasons to quit smoking, aside from trying to have children.

First, you could save up to $11,000 per year. Cigarettes are very expensive nowadays, costing you around $40 for a pack.

Secondly, you’ll get healthier and leave your children with no smoking-related problems in the future.

Lastly, quitting smoking improves your physical endurance, which drastically improves your quality of life. With a better physique, you’ll feel greatly confident by yourself and capable of doing almost anything, even beyond the age of retirement. 

Summary

Smoking and fertility greatly affect each other and will reduce your chances of having children. If you want to finally have a child of your own, encourage you and your partner to stop smoking and live a better life.

If you’re reading this because you wanted to know about the effects of smoking on fertility, you’re in the right place. We can provide the information and community that has helped many to quit smoking successfully.

Smokefree Clinic gives you access to many medically reviewed and trustworthy resources that can inform and aid you in your path to wellness, so have a look around! 

If you’re ready to get started, Smokefree can connect you to Australian healthcare professionals who excel in helping patients quit smoking for good.

Link Reference

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4639396/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4002431/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3389568/
• https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/2010/highlight_sheets/pdfs/overview_reproductive.pdf
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4639396/