Smoking And Infertility: What Happens In The Body

There could be many different causes for infertility in women. Sometimes a woman has a problem with their ovaries or uterus. There also could be problems with other parts of the body such as hormone levels that will hinder the chances of a woman getting pregnant. But there are also outside factors that could contribute to infertility. And smoking is one of the those factors.

Why Smoking And Infertility Are Linked

There have been major studies done on the topic of smoking and infertility. More than 20 of these studies have linked smoking and infertility together. The reasons for this are the evidence and smoking and infertility causing many adverse affects on the body. Smoke also contains several hundred substances that are toxic to the human body. This is one of the major reasons that fertility is less likely in a woman who smokes.

Smoking can also cause effects on the eggs that will disrupt maturation and halt fertilization and ovulation rates. The less a woman ovulates when they are supposed to, the less chance that the woman can become pregnant. Smoking and infertility are not just linked in the affects of the quality of the eggs in the ovaries, but also the quantity. Less eggs will also greatly reduces the percentage that a woman would be able to get pregnant each month.

Smoking also has an effect on the follicles that are needed in order to stimulate in vitro fertilization. So if a woman who smokes thinks that she can get pregnant easier with fertility treatments, she will need to think again. A lower number of eggs and the lesser quality of healthy eggs combined with in vitro fertilization does not make a good percentage of the ability for the woman to get pregnant. IVF treatments are 2.7 times more likely to succeed with a healthy, non-smoker than with a smoker.

Other Problems With Smoking And Infertility

But smoking and infertility are not the only links in this discussion. Smoking while pregnant is also a major issue for not just the mother, but the baby as well. There are many adverse affects to a fetus that is exposed to nicotine while in the womb. The can be born with a low birth weight, nicotine addiction, and there can be adverse affects years after the baby is born. There could be learning and developmental problems depending on how much smoke the baby was exposed to in the womb.

If you do find out that smoking and infertility are not a problem for you, you will still want to quite smoking as soon as you find out that you are pregnant. You will also want to limit your exposure to second hand smoke, not only for the baby, but to also keep you on track with your smoking habit.

Reducing Your Chances Of Smoking And Infertility Problems

If you want to reduce the adverse affects that smoking can lead to, you will want to quit smoking as soon as possible. Once a woman quite smoking, their body begins to repair the damage that smoking caused. This is a gradual process, so quitting smoking today will not lead to pregnancy tomorrow.

But once you have decided that you want to have a baby, you will want to immediately quite smoking. And infertility issues may not go away if they were not originally linked to smoking, but you are giving yourself a better chance of getting pregnant if you keep your body smoke free. There's nothing like being a mother, so let yourself have the chance to do it right and not have to deal with smoking and infertility issues.