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Smoking
Most smokers know that tar, nicotine and the more
than 100 other chemicals in cigarettes present a formidable threat
to overall health, but scientists now believe that smoking may
impair fertility by as much as 30%. Though some of the
fertility-related effects of smoking are irreversible, the good
news is that "kicking the habit" now can prevent further
reproductive damage.
If you're a smoker who's trying to conceive, you're not alone.
Research indicates that, worldwide, about one-third of reproductive
age women are smokers. According to the American Society for
Reproductive Medicine, nicotine and other toxic chemicals in
cigarettes impede fertility by interfering with the body's ability
to make estrogen, a hormone integral to regular ovulation, and can
make women's eggs more vulnerable to genetic abnormalities. Health
care professionals say the degree of reproductive damage caused by
smoking appears to be related to the amount and length of time a
woman has smoked.
Some of the ways smoking can undermine female fertility:
- Restricted blood flow to the genitals,
contributing to vaginal dryness and other sexual
problems.
- Decreased egg counts due to destruction of
eggs in the ovaries before the eggs reach maturity.
- Alterations in the release of
hormones.
- Decreased fallopian tube motility and tubal
disease.
- Decreased ability of an embryo to
implant.
 Women who want to maximize
their overall health while they're trying to conceive can choose
from a variety of smoking cessation methods, including support
groups, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, nicotine patches and chewing
gum. Your fertility specialist can help you choose the method most
compatible with your course of treatment. Your effort to conceive
should work as an extra incentive to stop smoking before you become
pregnant.
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