Smoking infiltrates every nook and cranny of our bodies, wreaking havoc on organs from top to bottom. While we’re familiar with its notorious impact on lung and heart health, its insidious effects on fertility and reproductive well-being often go unspoken.
- Smoking greatly diminishes fertility: Attempting to conceive becomes more challenging and prolonged for smokers. The likelihood of conception diminishes with increased cigarette consumption, particularly evident when a female smoke over 10 cigarettes daily. Moreover, smoking adversely affects the success rates of in vitro fertilization (IVF), with smokers requiring more cycles for successful outcomes compared to non-smokers.
- Smoking accelerates the onset of menopause: Smoking induces premature depletion of the ovarian reserve and hastens ovarian aging by approximately 1-4 years, leading to early menopause.
- Smoking poses risks to pregnancy: Pregnant individuals who smoke face heightened risks of complications, including spontaneous pregnancy loss, preterm premature rupture of membranes, and preterm labor. Furthermore, smoking during pregnancy increases the likelihood of miscarriage and contributes to low birth weight and intrauterine growth restriction. The toxic constituents of cigarette smoke elevate the risk of ectopic pregnancy, a perilous condition where the fertilized egg implants outside the uterus.
- Smoking jeopardizes the health of the unborn child: Tobacco use during pregnancy, including vaping, exposes the fetus to nicotine, impairing fetal and postnatal development. Offspring of smoking mothers are prone to allergies, respiratory infections, asthma, and diminished lung function. Additionally, they face risks of stunted growth, lower academic performance, hyperactivity, and obesity, with potential links to severe mental illness.
- Smoking compromises sperm quality and DNA integrity: In males, smoking diminishes sperm count and motility, hampering fertility. Increased smoking correlates with greater reductions in semen quality.
Using any tobacco product while attempting conception or during pregnancy poses hazards to both the mother and the child. Quitting smoking, including vaping or hookah use, is crucial for mitigating these risks. Fortunately, studies indicate that much of the fertility impairment associated with smoking can be reversed within a year of cessation, underscoring the importance of quitting early for the well-being of both parent and child.
