I know, I know. You’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a million times. “You should really quit smoking.” Most people who smoke know they shouldn’t do it, but it’s hard to quit! You know it’s “bad” for your health, but did you know smoking also makes it harder to become pregnant, stay pregnant, and have a healthy baby?
Here are the top 10 ways smoking can harm your fertility:
Our fallopian tubes are lined with tiny little cilia (imagine fine bristles on a brush) that gently pulsate to pick up and transport the ovulated egg and the sperm. These fragile cilia are what allow the egg and sperm to meet. Smoking impairs the function of the cilia, which can prevent fertilization.
Ectopic pregnancies are abnormal pregnancies that have implanted outside of the uterus, most commonly in the fallopian tube. Smoking damages the tubal cilia, increasing the risk of ectopic pregnancies, which can cause life-threatening complications and fertility loss.
Women who smoke are at a higher risk of miscarriage. Toxins in tobacco smoke can cause DNA damage and impair the proper separation of chromosomes. Nicotine also reduces blood flow to a developing pregnancy, further increasing the risk.
Smoking accelerates the loss of eggs, causing women to experience menopause 1-4 years earlier than non-smokers. This reduces the reproductive window significantly.
Smokers often have fewer and less healthy eggs, which makes IVF less successful. Smoking also affects the uterus, reducing the chances of implantation and live birth, even with donor eggs.
Smoking affects men too! It can lead to lower sperm concentration, decreased motility, and abnormal sperm shapes, making fertilization harder and impacting overall reproductive success.
Smoking increases the risk of preterm birth, leading to potential complications like underdeveloped lungs and brains, extended NICU stays, and higher infant mortality rates.
Babies born to smokers are often small for gestational age (SGA), increasing their risk of developmental problems, autism, and behavioral issues.
DNA damage from smoking can lead to a higher likelihood of birth defects and conditions like Down’s syndrome.
Smoking increases the risk of cancers, including cervical and ovarian cancer, which can impair fertility due to the need for treatments like surgery or chemotherapy.
So what can you do? Work on quitting! Even baby steps toward quitting can reverse many of these effects. The harm caused by smoking is dose-dependent, so reducing smoking significantly improves your chances of fertility and overall health.
Don’t give up hope – many of these bad effects are reversible if you are able to quit or significantly reduce the amount you smoke.
