Don't let cigarette smoke steal your parenting skills.

Smoking reduces fertility and causes sexual dysfunction in men

Studies have shown that the major metabolites of cigarette smoke (the substances in cigarette smoke that are inhaled and metabolized in the body) are found in semen. Some are even concentrated there (cotinine, trans 3 hydroxycotinine).

Tobacco components found in semen contain substances that can inhibit the activity of the choline acetyltransferase enzyme system. This enzyme is necessary for sperm to function. Men who smoke compared to non-smokers have lower levels of testosterone (a hormone necessary for sperm production) and increased levels of follicle stimulating hormone (a feminizing hormone).

Smoking reduces sperm count: Depending on the amount of cigarettes smoked, the number of sperms in smokers is reduced more or less (in heavier smokers, this is more obvious). Smoking causes inflammation of the reproductive system, making it difficult for sperm to penetrate the egg.

Smoking causes impotence:Smokers are twice as likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction, due to atherosclerosis in the penis, which reduces blood flow, which we call vascular erectile dysfunction. 82% - 97% of men with vascular erectile dysfunction smoke. In men who have smoked for a long time, the risk of vascular erectile dysfunction is higher, and in heavy smokers, the risk is even higher.

In addition to atherosclerotic impotence, smoking also leads to vasoconstrictive impotence (reduced blood flow due to narrowed arteries), smoking just 2 cigarettes can cause acute penile artery spasm.

Smoking not only affects reproductive and sexual functions in men but it also causes bladder cancer. It is not known whether smoking causes prostate cancer, but it is found that in people with prostate cancer who smoke, its invasion and metastasis increase.

The harmful effects of tobacco on female fertility

Women who smoke more than 15 cigarettes a day will increase the time it takes to conceive. But women who smoke not only have difficulty conceiving, but also have some difficulty nurturing the fetus. The more a woman smokes, the more it affects her fertility. There are many reasons why the fertility rate of women who smoke tends to be lower than that of women who do not smoke.

Damage to the oocyte:Smoking can damage or even destroy oocytes (eggs) and thus reduce fertility.

Hormonal abnormalities:Smoking changes the levels of several hormones, including estrogen and follicle-stimulating hormone. So ovulation may not occur normally in smokers.

Fallopian tube dysfunction:Several studies have found abnormalities in fallopian tube function in women who smoke. Increased hormone levels lead to changes in the normal movement of eggs through the fallopian tubes. In some cases, changes in hormone levels may increase the rate at which embryos enter the uterus. In one study, the risk of birth defects in smokers was found to be 2.2 to 4 times higher than in nonsmokers.

Spontaneous miscarriage:Studies have shown that smokers have a 1.5 to 3.2 times higher risk of spontaneous abortion than non-smokers. Women who smoke may have a reduced ability to sustain a pregnancy.

Early menopause:The primary reason for early menopause is that smoking reduces estrogen levels in women. Although all women experience a gradual decline in estrogen levels after age 40, women who smoke tend to enter menopause 2 to 3 years earlier than non-smokers.