Jalandhar, June 1 (FN Bureau) Smoking increases chances of male infertility by 30 percent. Infertility rates in both male and female smokers are about twice the rate of infertility found in non-smokers, said Dr Naresh Purohit, Visiting Professor at the Faridkot based Baba Farid University of Health Science , School of Public Health. Voicing his concern on the rise in infertile couples in Punjab since last decade noted Epidemiologist and reproductive health expert Dr Purohit told UNI here that problems related to fertility are a major public health problem worldwide, including India. He stated that the risk for fertility problems increases with the number of cigarettes smoked daily. It is important for females to know that female smokers need more ovary-stimulating medications during IVF and still have fewer eggs at retrieval time and have 30% lower pregnancy rates compared with IVF patients who do not smoke.
Because smoking damages the genetic material in eggs and sperm, miscarriage and offspring birth-defect rates are higher among patients who smoke.Tobacco causes DNA damage, altered sperm morphology and motility in males, with diminished ovarian reserve and endometrial receptivity in females. Renowned physician said that men and women who smoke take longer to get pregnant than non-smokers. Second-hand smoke is almost as damaging as smoking and women who are exposed to second-hand smoke take longer to conceive than women who are not. The chemicals in cigarettes can cause damage to eggs and sperm which affects a future child’s health. ‘Research suggests that smoking affects hormone production, which can make it more difficult for women smokers to become pregnant. Studies have also shown that men who smoke cigarettes before or while trying to conceive risk decreasing their fertility. In comparison to non-smokers, men who smoke tend to have a lower sperm count, density, motility, semen volume and fertilising capacity,’ he averred. ‘Smoking is also a cause of Erectile Dysfunction (ED) in men. Smoking as few as five cigarettes per day has been associated with lower fertility rates in males and females. Along with fertility, it also has associated risks for heart, vascular, and lung disease,’ he pointed. Dr Purohit said that Erectile dysfunction and pregnancy complication rates are also increased with smoking. He cautioned men who smoke can have problems getting and keeping erections. He pointed that smoking damages the DNA (genetic material) in sperm, which is transferred to the baby. He explained that men produce sperm all the time.
Sperm take about three months to mature. This is why quitting at least three months before trying for a baby is important to make sure the sperm is healthy when the baby is conceived. ‘Heavy smoking (more than 20 cigarettes per day) by fathers at the time of conception increases the child’s risk of childhood leukemia,’ Dr Purohit said. He said that women who smoke in pregnancy are more likely than non-smokers to have a miscarriage. Their babies have increased risk of low birth weight, being born prematurely and having birth defects. Every cigarette smoked increases the risk of miscarriage by one percent. he added. He further said smoking increases a woman’s risk of having an ectopic pregnancy, where the baby starts to develop outside the uterus, most commonly in the fallopian tube, where it will not survive, and is dangerous for the mother.
Dr Purohit also Advisor, National Cancer Control Programme averred that tobacco kills nearly six million people each year worldwide, of which more than 600,000 are non-smokers dying from breathing second-hand smoke. Cigarette smoking accounts for at least 30% of all cancer deaths in India. He informed that as per the National Family Health Survey 2020-21 (NFHS-5) conducted under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the tobacco use among men in Punjab state declined from 19.2 per cent (NFHS-4) to 12.9 per cent (NFHS-5) during the last five years, which is lowest among all the states of the country.