We all know that smoking is linked to lung cancer, but how many female smokers are aware of the negative impact their habit has on their fertility?
Over the years, many studies and reviews recognize the link between smoking and reduced fertility. This holds true for both women and men. Smoking has many damaging effects including: a negative impact on egg quality/quantity, increased likelihood of miscarriage, reduced sperm count and greater amounts of circulating toxins in the body.
A June 2008 review (Soares et al.) published in the Current Opinion in Obstetrics and Gynecology discussed the link between smoking and infertility in women and men. (A review synthesizes results from several studies and thus provides a superior level of evidence to single studies. Of course, this is dependent on the quality of the studies being reviewed).
In this case, the review focused primarily on studies published within the last two years, older literature was included where relevant. An excerpt of the Abstract of this review is included below:
RECENT FINDINGS: Tobacco compounds exert a deleterious effect on the process of ovarian follicle maturation. This effect is expressed by worse in-vitro fertilization parameters in cycles performed on women with smoking habits. Also, uterine receptiveness is significantly altered by the smoking habit. In men, cigarette smoking reduces sperm production, increases oxidative stress, and DNA damage. Spermatozoa from smokers have reduced fertilizing capacity, and embryos display lower implantation rates. Even in-utero exposition to tobacco constituents leads to reduced sperm count in adult life. SUMMARY: A strong body of evidence indicates that the negative effect of cigarette smoking on fertility compr[om]ises fairly every system involved in the reproductive process. Couples in reproductive age should be strongly discouraged to smoke.
Obviously smoking is not the only risk factor contributing to infertility, however, it can have a significant impact on reproductive health. Smoking cessation should not be overlooked when working towards improving fertility in both women and men.
Other risk factors for infertility include increasing age, and female obesity or excessive thinness. Stress also has a negative impact. Lifestyle choices, such as smoking and over-eating, can be addressed through naturopathic care. Acupuncture is particularly beneficial for smoking cessation, and may also aid with weight loss.
While we cannot become younger, even age may not be as fixed as we believe. Most are aware of the concept that biological age may not follow chronological age. In other words, we may be ‘younger’ or ‘older’ than our chronological years, depending on our overall health. While this can be great news for a healthy 35-year old woman trying to conceive, the opposite may be true for a woman with chronic exposure to a high level of toxins, with poor nutrition and lifestyle. Smoking adds to biological age. An article that provides further evidence in regards to biological age and fertility is from BBC News on 7 April 2005:
“Researchers looked at 8,457 women aged 20 to 40 who had had IVF treatment. A 30-year-old non-smoker had the same chance of conceiving as a 20-year-old smoker, they told Human Reproduction.”
There is much help available for couples exploring ways to improve their fertility. By all means, investigate the many avenues that alternative and conventional medicine offer, but don’t forget to butt out!