Among the most important of these outside factors, say doctors, is smoking. While most folks are aware that cigarettes and pregnancy don't mix, fertility experts say fewer seem to realize the impact that smoking has on fertility.
"It can dramatically reduce both male and female fertility and it really impacts conception rates," says Frederick Licciardi, MD, associate director of reproductive endocrinology at NYU Medical Center and associate professor at the NYU School of Medicine.
In one study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, sperm counts averaged 17% lower in smokers. More recently, a Polish study showed smoking dramatically lowered sperm count and disrupted the health of sperm. In women, Pisarska says smokers not only have a higher rate of infertility overall, but also those who do get pregnant take a much longer time to conceive.
"We also know that smokers undergoing fertility treatments usually require much higher doses of fertility medication than nonsmokers," says Pisarska.
But it's not just the smoke from your own cigarettes that matters. In a study recently published in Human Reproduction doctors showed that secondhand smoke also reduced the pregnancy rates in women undergoing high-tech infertility procedures.
The good news: Reduce your exposure to cigarette smoke and you may get pregnant faster and easier! In one study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, doctors found that men who stopped smoking experienced a rise in sperm count of up to 800%!
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