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SMOKING and PREGNANCY
Your Baby is Exposed to EVERYTHING You Experience
Smoking during pregnancy harms your baby and may lead to a greater chance of:
Miscarriage & Infertility
Birth complications
Having an underweight baby, makes them more vulnerable to infection and health problems in adulthood
premature birth (earlier than 37 weeks)
Baby being born with weaker lungs
Infant mortality - babies of mothers who smoke before and after birth are three times more likely to die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
So many changes to your body, lifestyle and health. Being mindful of what you eat and drink, the social pressures you may feel from others to be "good" during your pregnancy can lead to stress. None of which is good for you or your baby. It can be hard to be "good".
Those little pleasures you enjoyed like cigarettes or alcohol are now restricted for the health of you and your baby. Unfortunately for some, pregnancy doesn't just happen. There is no jubilation or celebrating due to infertility issues. Herein begins a rollercoaster of emotional and financial strain.
With cigarette smoking & vaping linked to problems in conceiving and negative outcomes for pregnancy, if you are planning a pregnancy it is highly recommended you quit smoking. Even a few cigarettes a week can sabotage a healthy pregnancy.
Many women will immediately stop smoking for the duration of the pregnancy and breastfeeding stage. They do it for the health of their unborn child. Then when "safe" to do so, a great many will start smoking again. We want you to Quit Smoking or Vaping permanently not just for 9 months and we want you to do it for YOU! Women unfortunately have a tendency to do everything for the health and wellbeing of others while neglecting their own. You deserve to be healthy and happy so if you need help quitting smoking and staying quit long after the birth, please contact us to discuss our Quit Smoking programme.
Smoking & Infertility
The negative impact of smoking on fertility cannot be overstated. Multiple studies and meta-analyses have found that:
Both women and men who smoke are more likely than non-smokers to struggle with infertility
Smokers suffer from higher rates of miscarriage and stillbirth than non-smokers
Smoking can damage eggs and ovaries, leading to lower egg quality and even earlier menopause
Cigarette smoking reduces sperm quality, giving you a lower sperm count, less semen, and poorer sperm movement
In 2019, a Danish study was published in the journal Human Reproduction, which examined the association between smoking and infertility in men and women. The study involved over 6,000 women and 4,000 men who were seeking fertility treatment between 1996 and 2018.
The results of the study showed that smoking was associated with a significantly higher risk of infertility in both men and women. Among women, the risk of infertility increased with the number of cigarettes smoked per day, with heavy smokers (more than 20 cigarettes per day) having the highest risk of infertility. The study also found that smoking during pregnancy increased the risk of miscarriage.
In men, the study found that smoking was associated with lower sperm counts and motility, as well as a higher percentage of abnormal sperm. The study also found that quitting smoking improved sperm quality, with men who quit smoking having higher sperm counts and motility compared to men who continued to smoke.
One of the strengths of the Danish study is its large sample size, which provides robust evidence for the association between smoking and infertility. The study also controlled for other factors that can affect fertility, such as age, BMI, and alcohol consumption.
What are You Really Smoking?
Every cigarette you smoke has an immediate effect on both you and your baby.
Cigarettes contain more than 7000 chemicals. At least 250 are known to be harmful and carcinogenic. When you smoke, these toxic chemicals enter your bloodstream.
Some of the chemicals in a cigarette can be seen in this graphic below. Carbon monoxide you inhale replaces some of the oxygen in your blood, which reduces the amount of oxygen getting to your baby and may slow their growth.
Melbourne Quit Smoking Clinic has been helping those wanting to get pregnant, pregnant & smoking, or undergoing IVF to Quit Smoking for nearly 20 years - And we can help you too.
Call us today on 1300 72 31 36