So you are planning to start a family? Fantastic! But before you go on this exciting journey, it’s important to understand certain lifestyle factors can affect your chances of success. One major factor to consider is smoking.
It’s no secret that smoking cigarettes is like inviting health problems. But beyond the widely known risks to heart health and lungs, smoking can have a significant impact on male fertility. Let’s understand how smoking cigarettes can lead to male infertility and what can be done to mitigate these effects.
How Smoking Harms Your Sperm?
A healthy pregnancy involves several parameters, including sperm count, motility, and morphology. But why do these parameters matter? Well, to be able to naturally fertilize an egg, you need a healthy number of sperms (count), which can move well (motility) and are correctly shaped (morphology) to penetrate an egg.
But sadly, smoking has been shown to affect all these parameters, leading to decreased fertility negatively. How? Let’s see.
Sperm Count: Chemicals in cigarette smoke, such as nicotine, carbon monoxide, and heavy metals, can affect the seminiferous tubules, where sperm production occurs. These toxic substances can lower the production of sperm, resulting in a decreased sperm count, leading to male infertility.
Sperm Motility: Smoking causes oxidative stress, which forms free radicals that can damage cells, including sperm. It reduces the energy supply to the sperm, limiting their capacity to swim and transit the female reproductive system.
Sperm Morphology: The toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke can damage the structure of sperm, leading to an increased percentage of abnormally shaped sperm. These abnormal sperm cells can’t penetrate and fertilize the egg.
Sperm DNA Fragmentation: The harmful chemicals in cigarettes exacerbate DNA fragmentation in sperm. This damage can compromise the sperm’s genetic material, reducing the chances of successful fertilization and increasing the risk of miscarriage and congenital disabilities.
Do you know that this damage isn’t equal for all smokers? Research indicates that the negative effects on sperm parameters are dose-dependent. This means the more you smoke, the greater the damage to your sperm health.
Now, you might be wondering if it is possible to reverse this damage or if any methods could improve your sperm health. The good news is it’s never too late to improve your sperm health. Here are a few measures that you can take:
Quit Smoking: If you are planning a family, want to conceive naturally or want to boost the success rate of IUI or IVF treatment, consider quitting smoking as early as possible. Stopping smoking allows your body to improve future production.
Live a Healthy Lifestyle: Eat a healthy diet and Include fruits, vegetables, dry fruits and supplements rich in antioxidants like Vitamin C, E, and zinc in your diet.
Get Tested: To evaluate the effect of smoking on your fertility, get tested properly. Your IVF specialist in Delhi recommends semen analysis to assess the quantity and quality of your sperm and DNA fragmentation tests to determine the integrity of the sperm’s DNA and plan the treatment.
Ready to Take the Next Step for Fatherhood?
Understanding the impact of smoking on male fertility is the first step towards making informed decisions about your health and family planning. Quitting smoking, adopting healthier lifestyle choices, and undergoing fertility evaluations at a certified lab can help you detect and manage male infertility.
If you are looking for an Infertility treatment in Delhi, consult Dr Rhythm Gupta today!