There is no doubt that smoking is bad for you. But it is not always clear which parts of the body are affected. Many people wonder whether nicotine is bad for the health of male sperm. The answer is yes!

Fertility can be significantly affected by smoking. Smoking can damage many parts of the body and increases the risk of cancer and heart and lung disease. The lungs, of course, suffer greatly from nicotine. But it can also affect the reproductive organs, making it impossible to have children naturally.

The nicotine and other toxins in cigarettes greatly reduce the number of sperm and make them less mobile. The structure of a sperm is also damaged by nicotine. So heavy smokers put sperm health at enormous risk. Sperm health also affects your partner's fertility. Reduced sperm health also leads to an increase in miscarriage rates. In these cases, women may consider IVF treatment, where the uterus is artificially inseminated.

How nicotine affects sperm health and quality

A number of studies have shown that smoking and nicotine affect sperm quality and count. The concentration and number of sperm in smokers is reduced by up to 25 per cent. A major problem for fertilisation is the altered sperm DNA caused by smoking. Smoking damages sperm DNA. This can lead to problems and complications in fertilising the egg and developing the embryo. It also increases the risk of miscarriage.

Smoking also changes the shape of the sperm. This means that the sperm cannot move as well and may not reach the egg. Sperm from smokers are therefore less healthy and fit.

Can smoking cause infertility in men?

Smoking has been shown to significantly reduce the health of sperm. However, this decline is usually not enough to wipe out a man's fertility. Reduced sperm health does not necessarily mean infertility. If men already have a naturally weakened reproductive organ, smoking and nicotine can make these men infertile and unable to have children of their own.

By stopping smoking, these men may be able to make some of their sperm cells fertile again. The chances of their own fertility would increase if they stopped smoking for good.

The health of sperm cells would improve considerably if you stopped smoking. It usually takes three months for sperm to mature. So three months after your last cigarette, sperm health should have recovered slightly.

How can nicotine affect male fertility?

Cigarettes contain large amounts of toxins that can affect your health. Smoking increases the levels of lead and cadmium in the body. Lead and cadmium are metals that have been linked to reduced fertility in men. The more you smoke, the higher the levels of these harmful metals in your body. Another factor is zinc. Low levels of zinc have also been linked to sperm concentration and health. The sperm also had a restricted structure and could not swim as effectively as sperm from a person with normal zinc levels.

Can smoking also affect a child's fertility?

It is very rare for a child's fertility to be affected by the man smoking. The likelihood of infertility in the son is more likely to increase if the mother smokes.

However, this does not mean that smoking cannot affect the child. Smoking increases the risk of birth defects and the risk of the child developing cancer in his or her lifetime. This is mainly due to damaged sperm DNA. The increased risk of a birth defect is also linked to the altered sperm DNA.

Smoking and IVF/ICSI treatments

IVF/ICSI treatment is a form of artificial insemination using the partner's egg. During the treatment, the doctor takes a sperm and puts it directly into the woman's egg to fertilise it. This method is mainly used for men who have difficulty conceiving or who are already infertile. Smoking also affects the chances of success with this type of IVF treatment. Pregnant women who have a partner who smokes are less likely to have a successful pregnancy. So it is always worth quitting smoking, especially before making such important decisions and to protect your health in general.

Nicotine and possible erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction is a sexual disorder, but it is not the same as infertility. Erectile dysfunction prevents the penis from becoming erect, so even if the sperm are healthy, fertilisation cannot take place. There is also a direct link between smoking and a higher risk of developing erectile dysfunction. The more a man smokes, the higher the risk of erectile dysfunction. However, when a man stops smoking, his sexual performance improves and the symptoms of erectile dysfunction subside.

Summary

If you and your partner are thinking about having a baby, you should try to stop smoking. Be aware that it can have a negative effect on your sperm and the health of the unborn child. As mentioned above, if you smoke, your sperm will be less concentrated and less able to move. Always remember that passive smoking is harmful to those around you. Your partner also absorbs toxic substances when you smoke a cigarette in their presence.

Toxins and poisons in cigarettes create chemical oxygen molecules. These oxygen molecules can affect the genetic material and DNA of the unborn child, increasing the risk of miscarriage. If you want to have a baby, you should stop smoking as early as possible so that your baby can be born as healthy as possible. Many experts advise that you should stop smoking two years before you want to have a baby. The earlier you start, the better it is for you, your partner and your unborn baby.