How Does Smoking Affect Men and Women Trying to Conceive?

Most people know that smoking is bad for your lungs, but not everyone is aware of the impact it has on becoming a parent. To have the best shot at conceiving, it’s best to lay off the cigarettes.

This article will explain smoking’s effects on fertility and pregnancy, when you need to stop smoking if you’re planning to have a baby, and where you can find resources to help you quit.

Yes, smoking affects fertility (the natural ability to get pregnant) in both men and women.

Smokers tend to have a harder time getting pregnant (if they’re women) or getting their partners pregnant (if they’re men) than non-smokers do. 1

Couples are also more likely to struggle with fertility treatments, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intrauterine insemination (IUI), if one of them smokes. If they’re both smokers, their chances of success are even lower. 23

Again, if you’re a woman, smoking not only makes it more difficult for you to get pregnant, it also increases your risk of never getting pregnant. 1

Smoking affects the female reproductive system by: 4

• Lowering the production of key hormones
• Reducing the quality of your eggs
• Accelerating the loss of your eggs

In contrast to men, who usually never stop producing sperm, your body can’t make new eggs once the old ones are damaged or lost. That’s why women who smoke often experience menopause 1–4 years earlier than non-smokers. 5

How smoking can affect you if you continue it in pregnancy

In addition to making it harder to get pregnant, smoking can affect you (and your baby) if you continue it once you do.

Smoking can make moms-to-be more susceptible to pregnancy complications, such as placenta previa (where the placenta covers part or all of the cervix) and ectopic pregnancy (where a fertilized egg implants and develops outside of the uterus). 167

If you smoke while you’re pregnant, your baby is also more likely to: 8

• Be born early (premature) or underweight
• Have a cleft lip or palate
• Develop lung or brain damage
• Die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Like women, men also have a higher chance of facing fertility issues if they smoke. If you’re a male smoker, you may struggle to get your partner pregnant due to having: 15

• Lower sperm quality, quantity, and movement
• A higher number of abnormally-shaped sperm
• Erectile dysfunction

Yes—while you can’t reverse all of the damage that regular smoking causes (e.g., the loss of eggs if you’re a woman), quitting will improve your overall fertility and boost your chances of conceiving. 1

Both eggs and sperm will be healthier once smoking is out of the picture. If you’re a woman and you quit smoking, you’ll be less likely to have pregnancy complications. 5

Can you cut down instead of quitting entirely?

Any level of cutting down helps. However, it isn’t enough. For the best chance of conceiving and having a healthy baby, you should quit smoking entirely, if you possibly can.

There’s no “safe” amount of smoking. Even low levels can make you less fertile and harm your baby’s health. 9

Can you replace smoking with vaping?

No, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t recommend vapes (e-cigarettes) as a replacement for cigarettes or for use as smoking cessation aids. 10

Any product that contains nicotine is harmful to your fertility, pregnancy (if you’re a woman), and overall health. 11101213

Because smoking is so harmful to your health, the earlier you quit it, the better, even if you don’t plan on getting pregnant.

With that said, when it comes to trying for a child, some claim both partners should stop smoking at least 4 months before trying to conceive. 3 This gives their bodies enough time to flush out toxins to improve sperm quality and let new, healthier eggs mature.

It’s never too late to quit smoking, even if you’re already into your pregnancy. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), quitting at any point is helpful, although the greatest benefits come if you stop before 15 weeks of gestation. 13

Your baby will get more oxygen and grow better each day you spend smoke-free. You’ll also be less likely to develop pregnancy complications and smoking-related diseases. 3

Quitting smoking is no walk in the park. Thankfully, there’s a lot of support available. Ask your healthcare provider or a local hospital to recommend smoking cessation programs.

You can also find help by:

• Calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) for free
• Visiting smokefree.gov and the CDC’s page on How to Quit Smoking

Remember that quitting takes time. Be patient and consider reaching out to other people in the same boat to get through it together.

Quitting smoking is a good idea for anyone, especially those who want to start a family. You’re off to a good start just by learning about how smoking affects fertility. The next step is to take action—which, of course, is easier said than done.

Seek professional help if you need it, and take care of your mental health during the process. Your determination will pay off; pregnancy is just around the corner!