Can Smoking affect Your IVF Success? What Every Couple Should Know

How Tobacco Impacts Fertility: Insights from CIFAR IVF Centre

It is well known that smoking is bad for your health, and the effects go far beyond lung health and the risk of cancer.

At CIFAR IVF Centre, we often talk to couples about the things that can affect their ability to get pregnant. One of the worst things that men and women who are trying to get pregnant can do is smoke.

Global Impact of Tobacco on Fertility

Prevalence of Infertility: Globally, 8–12% of couples have trouble getting pregnant, and 30–35% of those cases are caused by male factors.

• Smoking and Male Fertility :There is a link between smoking and lower sperm quality, which includes lower count, movement, and shape. A study found that men who smoke have a 30% higher chance of not being able to have children than men who don’t smoke. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that about 8% of couples around the world and 10% to 15% of couples in wealthy countries have trouble getting pregnant. In 30% to 35% of these cases, the male partner is to blame.
• Smoking and Female Fertility : Women who smoke are twice as likely as women who don’t smoke to have trouble getting pregnant. Smoking changes the way hormones are made and can cause early menopause and a smaller ovarian reserve.
• Secondhand Smoke:15–20% more likely for women to become infertile or go through menopause early if they are exposed to secondhand smoke.

Tobacco’s Impact on Fertility in India

• Tobacco Uses in India Statistics:  India accounts for 12% of the world’s tobacco users, with over 108 million smokers as of 2015. And Nearly 267 million adults (15 years and above) in India (29% of all adults) are users of tobacco, according to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey India, 2016-17.
• Male Fertility: There have been studies in Delhi and other places that show using tobacco, even chewing tobacco, is linked to lower quality sperm. For example, a study found that 22.3% of men who were unable to have children were currently smoking, and that the more often they smoked, the worse their sperm quality was.
• Female Fertility: A study of 1,250 pregnant women in Chhattisgarh found that 34.3% had been around smoke. Among these, complications like infertility (1.2%), early labor (18.4%), and other bad results were more common than among people who did not use it.

The Link Between Tobacco and Infertility

Nicotine, carbon monoxide, tar, and many other chemicals in tobacco are very bad for you. These pollutants throw off the balance of hormones, hurt reproductive cells, and cause oxidative stress, all of which have a direct effect on both men’s and women’s fertility. Tobacco use has a number of effects on sexual health.

Effects on Male Fertility

1. Reduced Sperm Quality : Smoking significantly lowers sperm count, motility, and morphology, making conception more challenging.

2. DNA Damage: Oxidative stress caused by tobacco leads to DNA fragmentation in sperm, which can result in poor embryo development or miscarriage.

3. Hormonal Imbalance:  Using tobacco lowers testosterone levels, which in turn lowers desire and sperm production.

4. Erectile Dysfunction: Nicotine narrows blood vessels, which slows blood flow and makes it hard to get an erection.

Effects on Female Fertility

1. Egg Quality Decline :Toxins from smoking lower the number and quality of eggs in the ovaries, which speeds up the aging process of the ovaries.

2. Hormonal Disruptions :Having problems ovulating or having periods that don’t come on time can be caused by smoking because it affects the amounts of estrogen and progesterone.

3. Fallopian Tube Damage :Smoking increases the risk of ectopic pregnancies due to impaired tubal function.

4. Implantation Challenges: The uterine lining becomes less receptive, reducing the chances of successful embryo implantation.

Secondhand Smoke and Fertility

You may harm your sexual health by being around people who smoke, even if you don’t smoke yourself. Studies show that people who are passive smokers are more likely to have trouble getting pregnant, have problems during pregnancy, and have bad reproductive results.

Tobacco and Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART)

Couples going through fertility treatments at our CIFAR IVF Centre like IVF or In vitro fertilization need to know that smoking can make the procedures less effective. People who smoke often:

• Lower success rates of fertilization and implantation.
• Reduced embryo quality.
• Increased chances of miscarriage.

At the CIFAR IVF Center in Gurugram, under the direction of Dr. Puneet Rana Arora, stress the value of quitting smoking to improve the chances of success with ART procedures.

Quitting Tobacco: A Positive Step Toward Parenthood

The good news is that quitting tobacco can significantly improve fertility outcomes. Here are some benefits:

• For Men : Sperm quality improves within three months of quitting.
• For Women : Hormonal balance and ovarian health gradually recover, enhancing the chances of natural conception.

Support from CIFAR IVF Centre

At CIFAR IVF Centre, we offer full fertility care, which includes lifestyle advice (CIFAR SUPPORT) and help to stop smoking. Our team of fertility doctors works closely with couples to find and treat all the things that are stopping them from getting pregnant. This way, we can help them become parents in a healthy way.

Make an appointment with CIFAR IVF Centre, Gurugram today if you or your partner are trying to get pregnant and need advice on how to stay healthy during this time. We can help you make your dream of having a family come true.

Contact us today at  helpdesk@cifarivf.com OR Call us at+91 9958009305WhatsApp at 8826539305 for questions related to CIFAR support

Take the First Step Toward a Smoke-Free Future

Remember, every positive change brings you closer to a healthier body and a successful pregnancy journey. Let’s make it happen, one step at a time.

Helpful Resource:

• https://www.reuters.com/article/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/smoking-secondhand-smoke-tied-to-infertility-and-early-menopause-idUSKBN0TY32B/#
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4709430/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33308486/
• https://www.tobaccoinduceddiseases.org/Association-of-tobacco-use-and-male-infertility-An-exploratory-study-in-Delhi-India,140909,0,2.html
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36699785/