Smoking affects our health in an adverse way. Smoking affects the reproductive organs and health of unborn child in case you are pregnant.
Smoking is mostly acquired by youngsters during teenage or adolescent period. There has been an increase of smoking among the girls or women the cigarette brands use as a marketing gimmick for manufacturing cigarettes especially for women – slimmer, glamorous and elegant mild cigarettes.
Smoke contains heavy metals, hydrocarbons and amines, drastically reducing the chances of conception. Smoking causes accelerated egg depletion, leading to reduced ovarian reserve and premature menopause.
However, oxidative stress in the follicular fluid increases tremendously which impairs the quality and quantity of the eggs. These poor-quality eggs further have reduced chances of fertilization and increased chances of aneuploidy (genetic abnormalities). The inner lining of the endometrium is also adversely affected which reduces the chances of implantation of the embryo. A lot of women smokers undergo IVF treatment due to infertility issues.
Smoking leads to increased risk of miscarriage, premature birth, increased blood pressure and other serious complicated pregnancies. This adversely affects the health of the child causing reduced lung functions, kidney diseases and increased blood pressures. There are also chances about the future infertility of the child as well because of the negative effect on sperm and eggs.
It is advisable to quit smoking. Smoking cessation can be done as reproductive risks are mitigated to a significant extent within a year. Behavioural intervention including counselling, education, monitoring and consistent support can be done to help them quit smoking. Notably, the drugs used for smoking cessation by nicotine replacement is found not to have adverse maternal or fetal effects.