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Smoking
Smoking reduces fertility because it
- affects the functioning of the ovaries negatively
- hampers the fallopian tubes
- affects the mucous membrane in the uterus, making it harder for the egg to attach itself to the uterus wall.
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Figure 1 shows the relation between smoking and delayed pregnancy – the risk of waiting more than 9 months to become pregnant when smoking the shown numbers of cigarettes on a daily basis. Subjects: 3187 European women trying to become pregnant. |
Most important is the fact that quitting smoking helps. For women who have quit smoking, the chances of a fertilised egg attaching itself to the uterus wall are almost as good as women who have never smoked. The likelihood of a normal pregnancy and for the birth of a healthy baby also improves when the woman stops smoking.
Smoking by the man plays only a minor role in a couple’s fertility, unless infertility is due to the quality of the man’s sperm/semen. If the man and woman both stop smoking, they will have prepared a healthy environment for their future child. Passive smoking negatively affects a child’s chances of getting respiratory diseases, sudden infant death syndrome (crib death), inflammation of the middle ear, and allergies.
Our advice to couples planning a pregnancy: quit smoking!
Read more about Infertility and alcohol