Smoking and Drinking Effects on Fertility

As we all know that smoking is harmful to health. Smoking affects few organs in the body which leads to lungs cancer, heart failure. Our parents advise us to always avoid things like smoking, drugs, alcohol. Alcohol affects our body system badly. It delays puberty. It also affects the menstrual cycle in women.

Alcohol contains calories that contribute only to weight gain which leads to obesity. Alcohol disrupts nutrient absorption process in the body. Its consumption leads to release of a poor quality egg and it affects fertility. If alcohol is consumed daily, it can damage some organs of the body like kidney, liver, pancreas, heart and nervous system. It affects our hormone production. It affects the manufacturing process of testosterone hormone (male sex hormone) which is produced by men. It results in ovary issues in women that leads to losing ovary’s quality and quantity, ultimately leading to infertility.

Drinking alcohol in pregnancy is very harmful to women. Drinking also affects the fertility of men. It declines their sexual interest. Alcohol contains ethanol which directly affects testosterone level in men. If the alcohol intake is continued on a regular basis for a long term, it makes sperm swim in an upward direction instead of in the right direction. Its regular consumption makes testicle shrink and not able to produce quality sperm. Its regular intake leads to lower the body energy level, stamina which causes men to ejaculate quickly. It affects our daily diet and fills our belly with unhealthy fats which lead to less consumption of good food and poor diet affects fertility.

Smoking also affects fertility in both men and women. Smoking products like cigarette contain nicotine, cyanide, carbon monoxide. When it is inhaled, it speeds up through the system via the lungs and hits the eggs and they lose their fertility. Women who are habitual to smoke have fewer chances of conceiving than women who do not smoke. If women smoke in pregnancy, then the baby is prone to sudden infant death syndrome or low sperm count may occur after a male baby become men.

In pregnancy, regular smoking may lead to the premature birth of baby and child. Smoking cause hormonal imbalance in men which results in infertility. It also affects sperm quality and sperm not able to reach the egg for fertilization. The above facts prove that smoking and drinking are very dangerous for the human reproductive system. And how smoking and drinking cause infertility in men and women?

Best way to prevent fertility defects while thinking of making family by conception and trying pregnancy is to minimize and avoid smoking and drinking at least 4-6 months prior to family planning. It is good to take help of a substance abuse counselling or fertility doctor’s consultation.