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“For everyone planning a pregnancy, our message is, ‘Stop smoking, improve your health, improve your reproductive health.,’” said Dr Kerstin Schotte, Medical Officer at WHOTobacco Free Initiative.
WHO defines infertility as the failure to achieve pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular sexual intercourse without a condom – a condition that affects one in six people worldwide.
In the new report Summarizing all the evidence regarding the link between tobacco smoking and infertility, the agency cited decades of evidence showing tobacco use is associated with infertility in women and also harms sperm quality and sexual function in men.
WHO also notes that secondhand smoke can affect fertility, meaning that a person may face possible reproductive risks even if they do not smoke.
The WHO publication also suggests that quitting smoking can make a difference because women who used to smoke but no longer may have a 25 percent lower risk of infertility than those who continue to smoke.
It’s not just a women’s issue
WHO emphasizes that infertility is not just a women’s problem. A review of 44 studies involving more than 60,000 men found that smoking was associated with reproductive dysfunction, including semen abnormalities and sexual dysfunction.
Evidence shows that men who smoke are more likely to experience erectile dysfunction, ejaculation problems, and related problems such as the absence of sperm in the semen, poor sperm motility, and abnormal sperm shape.
“Evidence shows that men who smoke are more likely to experience erectile dysfunction, ejaculation problems, and related problems such as absence of sperm in semen, poor sperm motility, and abnormal sperm shape,” the UN health agency said.
Impact on fertility treatment
Smoking can also reduce the success of fertility treatments. Previous research from 21 studies linked smoking to fewer live births as well as pregnancies after assisted reproduction such as in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Further findings suggest that smoking can reduce the chances of success by about half.
Hookah, e-cigarettes and passive smoking
WHO also identified other possible risks from smoking water pipes—also known as hookah or shisha—which could affect male fertility.
While evidence about e-cigarettes (also known as vapes), water pipes and smokeless tobacco and other new products is still emerging, WHO says that other tobacco and nicotine products may also pose reproductive risks and require further research.
WHO also warns that exposure to cigarette smoke can increase the risk of infertility for women because it can reduce the chance of getting pregnant every month.
Reduce risk
This publication recommends that health care providers discuss the reproductive risks of tobacco use with individuals and couples planning pregnancy.
This also requires evidence-based support to help people quit smoking, including the provision of routine smoking cessation advice to tobacco users in all health care settings.
