It’s affecting your fertility!

It may be more alarming than surprising that smokers, both men and women will have more problems in conceiving children and a longer time to become pregnant. Smoking is a so risky that in any form, be it active or passive, will affect fertility among women.

Habitual smokers among men will face serious fertility problems that include fall in sperm count, effects on sperm motility, and some impact on the sperm shape.

Studies have revealed that smoking leads to around 23 per cent of decrease in sperm count while as per a study by a European Urology organisation, the side effects in the form of slow sperm motility is confirmed by 13 per cent. The study was conducted on 5,000 men in the continent.

One of the major indirect factors that affect sperm count is the fragmentation of sperm DNA due to excessive smoking. The result is the bad sperms and subsequent problems in fertilization and embryo development.

Smoking nicotine also casts its impact on the sperm shape or morphology where the shape may become undesirably odd hampering its swimming to reach the egg and fertilise it.

A woman who smokes regularly and excessively will have the eggs inside ovaries age untimely leading to premature menopause. Smoking damages fallopian tubes that can result in ectopic pregnancy. Also, cases of miscarriages are a growing trend.

This is because it has been confirmed through studies that smoking nicotine in any form directly affects the growth of the fetus. It also alters the uterine lining.

The worst of all is the incidence of cervical cancer among smoking women as harmful toxins in cigarettes contain cancer-causing substances. This can lead to cancer cells formation that could grow rapidly.

In cases where only the man smokes, there lies a serious threat to the female fertility. This secondhand smoking significantly reduces the number of egg cells in the IVF cycle.

If one or both partners are smoking, it is good for both to quit because there is higher probability of absorbing bad effects of smoking as a passive smoker.

As a passive smoker, you can end up with reduced fertility rate, and increased chances of miscarriage besides affecting the health of the unborn baby including birth defects. (The writer is Head of Juhi Fertility Centre in Hyderabad.)

By Dr Nirmala Agarwal