Cigarette Smoking Affects Fertility in Women and Men

Cigarette smoking (in either male or female partners) has consistently
been shown in clinical studies to increase the amount of time it takes to conceive. It also has been associated with poor pregnancy outcomes, such as miscarriage and complications in pregnancy. These effects are probably due to the nicotine constricting blood vessels and decreasing oxygen delivery to the reproductive organs. Breakdown products of nicotine are found in fluid surrounding the eggs and in fluid surrounding the sperm in both active and passive (second-hand) smokers. Therefore, it is recommended that you quit smoking before trying to get pregnant. The optimal time to start trying would be when your body is no longer dependent on nicotine, since even nicotine in the form of gums or patches might be harmful.

Certain other lifestyle choices and environmental factors have been shown to influence fertility. Prior to and while trying to conceive, it is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle. These are some good general recommendations:

• Avoid cigarette smoking (male and female partners);
• Limit alcohol consumption to 4 or fewer drinks per week;
• Limit caffeine intake to fewer than 2 cups a day;
• Avoid use of marijuana or any other recreational drugs; and
• Avoid direct exposure to perchlorethylene (dry cleaning industry), toluene
(printing business), ethylene oxide, herbicides, fungicides and
pesticides.