A new study released from the University of Copenhagen has identified a troubling link between the use of e-cigarettes and reduced semen quality.
We have posted previously about the harmful effect cigarettes can have on the quality of your sperm and why it is so important to quit smoking if you are wanting to start a family, however the use of e-cigarettes hasn’t been fully investigated, until recently. Smoking can cause a dysfunction in the Sertoli and Leydig cells, specialised cells located in the tests that are responsible for the production of healthy sperm. Impairment to these testicular cells result in damage to the testes, alterations of male reproductive hormones and often result in reduced semen quality.
Researchers from the Department of Growth and Reproduction at the University of Copenhagen analysed the reproductive hormone levels of men and their semen parameters, and looked at their lifestyles, which included smoking behaviours. Approximately half the population of the study group were cigarette smokers and 13% used e-cigarettes. Compared to non-smokers, the study found that daily e-cigarette smokers had a significantly lower sperm concentration as did normal cigarette smokers.
Although e-cigarettes contain fewer components than actual cigarettes, the composition of the e-liquid created for e-cigarettes appears to cause histopathological changes in the testes, revealing adverse effects. Furthermore, additional studies that have come out of The University of North Carolina have supported these findings. The research shows a strong correlation between the use of e-cigarettes and significant delays in embryo implantation, as well as long term health implications and abnormal metabolism of female offspring when e-cigarettes are used during pregnancy.
