Smoking Increases the Risk of Infertility in Men and Women

Infertility is neither transferable nor it is genetic and no one is born infertile. It is only after adolescence that one can know about his/her infertility. It is thus very clear that infertility has something to do with one’s lifestyle. There have been many researchers involved in studying the reasons for infertility. After several years of study, the researchers have come up with a strong thesis that one of the major reasons for infertility is Smoking.

Addiction to smoking is extremely harmful, we all know. But not everyone will get cancer as a result of smoking. There are many effects of addiction which may not be reflected directly, but surface later as incurable. Once such effect of smoking is infertility! There are many couples who are a victim of infertility owing to their addiction to smoking.

The percentage of smokers among the people suffering from infertility is very high. A person is more likely to get infertility problems if he has been smoking for years. Here are some facts about smoking and infertility that reveal the correlation between the two:

1. When you smoke, more than 7000 toxic chemicals enter your body. These chemicals spread through almost all the organs of our body causing many harmful effects. These chemicals particularly harm the genitals and reproductive organs.

2. Female smokers contract infertility problems too. They undergo ovulation problems, genital damage, damage to reproductive parts, damage to eggs, premature menopause, troubles and irregular menstrual cycles, increased risk of miscarriage. All these effects lead to infertility or even a failed pregnancy.

3. The fertility of men is highly influenced by smoking. Chain smoker men run a high risk of impotence. Smoking has a direct effect on the sperms of a man. Smoking regular cigarettes reduce the sperm count in the semen. The sperms also become less motile (motility is the ability of the sperm to swim and penetrate the egg). With a low sperm count, the chances of conceiving reduce to a great extent.

4. In male smokers smoking increases the chances of impotence, it causes hormonal and erectile disorders. (Erectile dysfunction in the incapability to get or to hold an erection).

5. Women are very severely affected by smoking. Even if women indulge in passive smoking, the smoke inhaled affects her reproductive system. Exposure to smoking is as harmful as doing it. In fact, passive smoking is a major cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

6. Smoking cigarettes act as an anti-catalyst in pregnancy. It creates problems in the embryo formation and disturbs the stages of reproduction processes. The effect on women is major as the chemical deposits in the body due to smoking can completely destroy the environment of the uterus. These chemicals also create hurdles in the movement of the embryo and affect the secretion of hormones produced during pregnancy.

Exposure to smoking even after conception has ill effects. After getting pregnant even if there is exposure to smoking, directly or indirectly, there is a devastating effect on the baby. Here are the problems that occur in pregnancy due to smoking:

1. While pregnant if a woman smokes, there are increased complications in pregnancy. The baby runs a high risk of getting diseases even when in the womb.

2. Pregnant women, who are exposed to smoking either actively or passively, have high chances of going through a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. The chances of going through a miscarriage due to direct smoking are very high. With every cigarette smoked, the chances of miscarriage increase by 1%.

3. Smoking when the baby is in the womb can be fatal. The foetus is adversely impacted due to smoking, both active and passive. There are many diseases that can be contracted due to smoking in pregnancy. The baby born is also likely to weigh very less and have problems in the DNA.

If you are a couple with infertility problems, there are numerous treatments you can go for like IVF, Surrogacy, adoption, etc. There are Surrogacy clinics in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, etc, in fact in all states across India. Although there are treatments for infertility with the best IVF Center in India, the question is ‘why to call for it in the first place’? Even after knowing the ill effects of smoking, there are many men/ women who are planning a family but still indulge in smoking. The couples together should now pledge to quit smoking in order to give birth to a healthy child and experience the feeling of parenthood.