Video - How Smoking can affect fertility

Male fertility

In men, many toxins found in a cigarette can affect both semen and sperm. Men who smoke also tend to have a lower sperm count than non-smokers and have more malformed sperm with reduced motility. This can make becoming a dad difficult and may also put the foetus at risk of developing because of damaged genetic material. Researchers have found that there is no safe level of smoking; even light or occasional smoking is associated with reduced male fertility.

Stopping smoking can;

• Improve volume of ejaculation
• Improve sperm count
• Decrease the risk of abnormal sperm shape
• Improve the outcome of fertility treatment such as IVF/ICSCI

Female fertility

Smoking can decrease the chance of conceiving a baby by 10-40% each menstrual cycle. The more and longer a woman smokes, the longer it will take her to conceive. Some of the toxins found in cigarettes can harm the ovaries, where eggs are produced as well as the fallopian tubes that carry the fertilized egg to the uterus.

Stopping smoking can;

• Increase the chances of getting pregnant
• Reduce the risk of becoming infertile
• Improve the outcome of fertility treatment e.g. IVF/ICSI
• Reduce the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy, low birth weight and premature birth.