Smoking affects male fertility

If you are having trouble conceiving and you're worried that you just could be the problem, one of the best things you can do for not only your reproductive health but also for your general health, is give up smoking. Smoking affects male fertility in a few numerous ways:

1. Smoking causes damage to the sperm themselves, researchers think this may be due for the damage done by tobacco on the seminal plasma, a nutrient-rich liquid which is determined in semen. And, it is not only the smokers themselves who are at risk but a male whose mother or father was a smoker has a reduced likelihood of getting a father himself. It can be also thought that a smoker who becomes a parent can pass on genetic mutations to his offspring. This sperm damage is accumulative, the longer a man has been a smoker the damage that is done to the sperm increases.

2. Smoking really lowers the sperm count. Among the reasons for a lowered sperm count is insufficient levels of vitamin B12, vitamin E and zinc, all critical for healthful reproduction. It can be a regarded reality that smoking inhibits the absorption of these vitamins and minerals and it can also disrupt the balance of hormones. The sperm count of male smokers can be as much as 15% below people that don't smoke. The average number of sperm per sample of ejaculate can be anywhere between 50 million and 150 million per millilitre and this reduction could mean the number of sperm could be as low as 20 million per millilitre. The average sperm count around the world has lowered over the recent decades and the principal reason for these lowered figures has been named as smoking.

3. Smoking affects sperm mobility. Sperm mobility is defined as the ability on the sperm to make its way through the vagina and cervix in order to reach the egg and achieve fertilisation. The sperm must be moving not only at a suitable speed but also in the right direction in order for them to reach the egg. An average measure of sperm mobility is when 50% in the sperm are moving correctly, smoking affects this figure meaning less sperm are truly capable of reaching the egg.

4. Smoking can affect the ability to maintain an erection. An erection is achieved through the blood in the penis which creates pressure in the muscles and makes it expand. Anything that can interfere with that flow of blood has the possible to cause impotence. It's a well recognised fact that smoking can lead to the break down of the tiny blood vessels that carry blood to the penis. If the blood cannot flow freely into the penis an erection cannot be achieved and maintained. It can be therefore totally necessary that these tiny blood vessels are in a rather wholesome condition. Smoking makes the arteries that lead on the penis close up and this in turn reduces the blood pressure, and obviously if an erection cannot be achieved it is impossible for conception to occur.