If you and your partner are having trouble conceiving a child then smoking could be to blame. Smoking not only affects your general health it also affects male fertility.
Smoking causes damage to the sperm in numerous ways, it causes a lowered sperm count, causes poor sperm morphology - the "look" of the sperm, decreases sperm motility and smoking can also cause impotence. Not only that, but mothers who are smokers are more likely to produce a male child who will himself have problems becoming a father in later life. Across the world the average sperm count is lower than it has ever been and smoking is believed to be the reason.
Specifically speaking, the sperm count of men who are smokers can be as much as 15% below men who do not smoke. With the average sperm count being anywhere between 50 million and 150 million per millilitre this could mean a reduction in the number of sperm to below 20 million per millilitre. This lowered sperm count can be due to insufficient levels of vitamin B12, vitamin E and zinc. This is likely to be because smoking inhibits the absorption of vitamins and minerals and it can also disrupt the balance of hormones in a smokers body.
The ability of the sperm to travel forward through the vagina and cervix to reach the egg and achieve fertilisation is known as sperm mobility. The sperm have to be able to move in the right direction and at a speed that is quick enough to reach the egg. An average sperm mobility is when at least half of of the sperm are moving correctly. Smoking is known to reduce sperm mobility meaning less sperm are able to reach the ovum.
An erection is acheived when the blood in the penis creates pressure in the muscles, making it expand. If something interferes with that blood flow it has the potential to cause impotence. It is a known fact that smoking causes the break down of the blood vessels that carry blood to the penis. Unless blood is able to flow freely into the penis an erection cannot be maintained. It is therefore highly important that these blood vessels are in an extremely healthy condition. Smoking can close up these arteries that lead to the penis and therefore reduce the blood pressure necessary, and obviously if an erection is not possible then conception cannot occur.
Smoking causes damage to the sperm in numerous ways, it causes a lowered sperm count, causes poor sperm morphology - the "look" of the sperm, decreases sperm motility and smoking can also cause impotence. Not only that, but mothers who are smokers are more likely to produce a male child who will himself have problems becoming a father in later life. Across the world the average sperm count is lower than it has ever been and smoking is believed to be the reason.
Specifically speaking, the sperm count of men who are smokers can be as much as 15% below men who do not smoke. With the average sperm count being anywhere between 50 million and 150 million per millilitre this could mean a reduction in the number of sperm to below 20 million per millilitre. This lowered sperm count can be due to insufficient levels of vitamin B12, vitamin E and zinc. This is likely to be because smoking inhibits the absorption of vitamins and minerals and it can also disrupt the balance of hormones in a smokers body.
The ability of the sperm to travel forward through the vagina and cervix to reach the egg and achieve fertilisation is known as sperm mobility. The sperm have to be able to move in the right direction and at a speed that is quick enough to reach the egg. An average sperm mobility is when at least half of of the sperm are moving correctly. Smoking is known to reduce sperm mobility meaning less sperm are able to reach the ovum.
An erection is acheived when the blood in the penis creates pressure in the muscles, making it expand. If something interferes with that blood flow it has the potential to cause impotence. It is a known fact that smoking causes the break down of the blood vessels that carry blood to the penis. Unless blood is able to flow freely into the penis an erection cannot be maintained. It is therefore highly important that these blood vessels are in an extremely healthy condition. Smoking can close up these arteries that lead to the penis and therefore reduce the blood pressure necessary, and obviously if an erection is not possible then conception cannot occur.
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