The Journal of Women’s Health has recently published a study that has shown a strong link between smoking and clinical outcomes associated with IVF.
So, does smoking decrease fertility in women?
It is very well documented that smoking is not only dangerous to your health, but it has a negative impact on male fertility as well as female infertility. Links between cigarette smoking and poor embryo development has also been publicised in previous studies also and now a recent study has shown that smoking any time around the time of conception can have adverse effects on pregnancy outcomes.
The study looked at data collected from 2009-2013, and it was reported that smoking was not only associated with diminished ovarian reserve and unexplained infertility in both male and female patients, but it was also associated with a higher cycle cancellation rate with no embryo being transferred and a higher rate in cancellations before a fresh oocyte retrieval or a frozen embryo transfer.
A dose/response relationship between the amount a patient smoked before a treatment cycle and the rate of cancellations was also established. The study showed that the more a patient increased their daily smoking intensity even by increasing it to 6 cigarettes per day, the more likely they were to have a cancelled cycle resulting in no embryo transfer.
This very recent published study provides yet another important reason why it’s crucial to quit smoking when embarking on your fertility journey, to give yourself the best chance of achieving a successful pregnancy.
