You don't need us to tell you that smoking is bad for you. It causes tremendous damage to your lungs and heart, and cigarette smoke is also dangerous for the people around you. But what's the connection between smoking and reproductive health, specifically? If you're a smoker but quit before trying to get pregnant, can you still experience fertility problems?

In this blog, we're exploring the potential effects of both active smoking and passive smoking on female and male fertility.

Read our blog, How Common is Infertility?

Maternal Cigarette Smoking and Reproductive Health

Female smokers can indeed experience infertility. The FDA says that not only can smoking make it harder to conceive, but it can also hurt your hormone production. Plus, smoking and exposure to cigarette smoke can damage the reproductive system.

So, whether you're a female smoking cigarettes or you're subjected to cigarette smoke exposure (also called passive smoking), it can wreak havoc on your reproductive health and make it harder to get pregnant.

What if it's the Male Smoking?

Males aren't exempt from this, either. There is evidence linking cigarette smoking to reduced semen quality, semen volume, and sperm density, motility (movement), and viability. Again, smoking can negatively impact the male reproductive hormones, too.

Plus, smoking can lead to erectile dysfunction, making it harder to get and keep an erection.

How Far in Advance Should You Quit Smoking Before Trying to Get Pregnant?

You should quit smoking regardless of whether or not you want to conceive. There is no "safe" amount of smoking for you and the people around you.

However, if we had to put a number on it, we'd say you should quit smoking at least three months before trying to conceive. This is because smoking damages the DNA in sperm, which is then passed on to the baby. Sperm takes about three months to fully mature. So, you should wait three months to ensure the sperm used to procreate is as healthy as possible, and thus, you'll have a greater likelihood of conceiving and giving birth to a healthy baby.

Smoking During Pregnancy is Just as Bad

Active smokers might think, "Well, once we get pregnant, we can go back to smoking!" Not so fast.

Smoking during pregnancy is dangerous. For starters, the fetus might not fully grow/develop in the womb. As a result, your baby can end up being born at a low birth weight, even if you carry it to full-term.

You may experience excessive bleeding during childbirth, which can put you and your baby in danger.

You might also give birth too early, and premature babies frequently have health problems. Like you, the baby could experience problems with their lungs and brain, and these issues can persist well into their teen years. Birth defects also become more common. These include cleft lip and cleft palate.

Furthermore, smoking during pregnancy, as well as exposing your baby to cigarette smoke after birth, puts them at an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

So, while it's important to quit smoking to make it easier to get pregnant, you should also quit smoking to avoid dangerous and life-threatening risks like fetal growth restriction, low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome, and birth defects. You cannot care for your wellness without complete smoking cessation.

Can You Do Nicotine Replacement Therapy?

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) means using products (like skin patches or chewing gum) that contain low doses of nicotine. Some active smokers do this when they want to quit smoking because it helps cut back on cravings and withdrawal symptoms, so there's less temptation to use tobacco products.

These nicotine products do not contain the other toxins you'll find in cigarettes and cigarette smoke, like carcinogens. But will you still experience fertility problems if you use them?

Research says that with NRT, there is a decreased risk of low birth weight and early delivery, compared to if the parents did not quit smoking at all. In addition, one study suggested NRT doesn't seem to come with an increased risk of birth defects.

While smoking cessation (permanently quitting all tobacco products) is still ideal, it's worth a conversation with your healthcare provider to see if NRT is a good fit for you, based on your plans to conceive.

How Can You Tell if Smoking Has Harmed Your Reproductive Health?

If you're worried that active smoking has possibly contributed to female infertility, a fertility tracking panel can provide valuable insight. eNational Health will look into your current fertility status and overall ovarian health to determine if and how smoking cigarettes has caused damage.

eNational Testing has more than 2,000 locations across the United States. Our fertility tracking panel requires a simple blood draw, and the test results will be emailed to you in four to 10 business days. Find a testing center near you.

A semen sample could be an option to check male fertility. This sample is sent to a lab, where the volume, count, motility, and shape of the sperm are evaluated. Sometimes, a blood test will also be needed to check hormone levels (specifically, testosterone).

Smoking Cessation is the Answer to Better Reproductive Health

We hope we've made it clear why and how active smoking (and even passive smoking!) is so threatening to your reproductive health. Even if you have no plans to get pregnant, smoking causes long-lasting and even permanent damage to your entire body.

Avoid any and all tobacco smoke at all costs to protect your health and the health of those around you.