Giving birth to a baby is a joy in a couple’s life. Unfortunately, there are many couples, for whom the path to conceiving turns out to be cumbersome. In fact, they spend months, even years visiting doctors to find out a possibility to conceive, but the efforts go in vain. The reason for not being able to conceive can be wide-ranging – medical, genetic, and some common lifestyle disorders (like eating unhealthily, feeling stressed out, drinking alcohol, and smoking). But, out of everything else, smoking alone can risk fertility largely.
While the nicotine, cyanide, and carbon monoxide released during cigarette smoking, diminishes the egg reserves in women, however, it equally affects the sperms in men1. And a healthy sperm count is of utmost necessity while trying for a baby.
Basically, a normal sperm count in men ranges from 15 million sperms to more than 200 million sperms per milliliter of semen. Anything lower than that is considered to be low (also known as oligospermia) 2. Moreover, exposure to smoke may not positively impact either the sperm quality or the sperm count.
How? Here’s a list as an explanation for the above-mentioned statement:
Smoking decreases the Sperm Volume
The volume of sperms is determined by the fluids known as seminal plasma. And this seminal plasma is a complex fluid component, comprised of the secretions from various organs (prostate gland, ejaculatory ducts, seminal vesicles, etc) in men. And, this fluid not just plays a vital role in male fertility, but also gives nutritional support to the sperm cells and keeps them safe, while they travel through the reproductive tract of women. But, the presence of toxic chemicals from cigarettes like cancer-causing carcinogens, mutagenic substances, and heavy chemicals like cadmium and lead damages the sperm volume by decreasing the protective fluid. As a result, the chances of survival of the sperm cells are significantly lower.
Smoking diminishes the sperm quality
As far the quality or the health of the sperms is concerned, it can be determined by the quantity or number, movement or “motility” (which measures how fast the sperms can swim to the egg) and structure or shape (egg-shaped heads and long tails) of the sperms. A study claims that due to smoking the number of sperms decreases by 17.5%. Research from 2005 has also supported that, smoker sperms are likely to bind less tightly to an egg (an important process for fertilization), which means total motile sperms also get reduced by 16.6% as compared to non-smokers.
Smoking disturbs the Sperm Motility
Sperm motility is basically, the sperm cells’ ability to swim to the egg. The sperms which can swim better have better chances of fertilizing an egg.
But smoking can increase the Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), which are oxygen-containing free radicals, that can damage the cells. The whole process is known as oxidative stress, which makes the sperms poor swimmers and lowers the overall sperm quality.
Smoking alters the sperm's shape and size
Resulting in abnormalities in the structure like curved tails. And such badly-shaped sperms turn out to be bad swimmers. As a result, neither does it have the chance to survive, nor can it function properly towards fertilizing an egg.
Smoking breaks down the sperm DNA
Smoking destroys the DNA strands in sperms into pieces. As a result, the embryo development and fertilization of eggs get compromised.
Smoking causes erectile dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction (impotence) is the inability to keep an erection firm enough while performing sexual activity. And studies have supported that smoking is closely associated with an increased risk of erectile dysfunction. Basically, exposure to the toxins destroys the vessels in the penis and decreases the blood flow, thus proving the man incapable of delivering semen to the woman to make her pregnant.
But, it’s never too late to begin
It has been evidenced that, smoking over 20 cigarettes a day proves worse for a man’s fertility. But not all’s lost and it’s never too late to begin.
To conclude, with so many problems related to smoking, quitting smoke can surely save the sperms. But, if quitting seems to be difficult at the very beginning, cutting down could be a better, sensible, and meaningful start to create a difference in man’s fertility.
Author Bio: Prapti Chauhan is a professor of Genetics in Bangalore. She has contributed to several online research papers. However, she passionately develops content on pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, and the private cord blood bank and umbilical cord lining, and more.
