Smoking Vs Infertility

Infertility arises because of many reasons such as problems in the ovaries and uterus and fluctuations in hormone levels which reduce the chances of conceiving. In addition there are external factors that could contribute to infertility. Smoking is one of them.

The link between Smoking and Infertility

Latest studies show that a considerable amount of infertility cases are the after effect of smoking. Smoking can cause severe side effects both in men and women. Women smokers have higher risk of affecting their reproductive ability and further increasing the chances of cancer in their offspring because of alterations in the genes and chromosomes.

Women who have tried to get pregnant with In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and those who have been smokers in the past produce fewer eggs with IVF than non smokers. In addition, smokers also experience reduced capacity of fertilization of the eggs and increased chances of miscarriages with IVF. The reason might be nicotine, found in cigarettes, which have adverse effects on the follicles that are necessary for the induction of IVF.

Smoking during Pregnancy

The pregnancy rates of women smokers are greatly affected by nicotine. Moreover, smoking negatively influences not just the mother, but the baby as well. Even before delivery, smoking can harm a fetus exposed to nicotine while in the womb causing low birth weight, poor lung function and several other problems. The nicotine in cigarettes obstructs the flow of oxygen needed for healthy growth to the baby's blood. Needless to say the chances of a healthy pregnancy can be improved by keeping the body smoke free.

Effects of Smoking on Female and Male Fertility

Some of the negative consequences of smoking on the female reproduction ability include:

• Damage to the fallopian tubes that produce healthy eggs


• Lower rates of fertilization of the eggs with IVF


• Chances of reaching menopause early by 1 to 4 years


• Increased risk of unprompted abortion and ectopic pregnancy


• Alterations in ovum


• Likelihood of occurrence of cancer in the babies of smoking parents

Significant consequences of smoking contributing to male infertility include:

• Decreased sperm count in men


• lterations in the sperm morphology, sperm strength and quantity of ejaculated semen


• Infertility caused by changes in the series of DNA in sperm cells

Infertility itself can be cured with the help of treatments and medications and IVF success rates are higher in women that have quit smoking. Fertility improves considerably in women who have quit smoking. Couples planning on starting a family and particularly those experiencing problems while conceiving should make a maximum effort towards cessation of smoking..

East Bay Fertility Center, Dublin, California (www.ebfertility.com) offers personalized medical counseling and treatments for infertile couples. The clinic’s experienced medical staff is headed by Dr. Ellen U. Snowden, Medical Director and physician who is Board Certified in Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Endocrinology. East Bay Fertility Center provides comprehensive infertility services and motivates infertile patients throughout their course of infertility treatment. East Bay specializes in providing infertility treatments such as in-vitro fertilization, insemination, Intracytoplasmic sperm injection, egg donation and gestational surrogacy.

Visit our website http://ebfertility.com/ to know more about different treatment options that we provide.