Smoking is very clearly recognized by most people as something that is bad for you, yet more than 35 percent of women who are trying to have a baby smoke at least a few cigarettes each day! The American Medical Association (AMA) has revealed that many women falsely believe that a few cigarettes are okay until they actually try to conceive, not realizing how smoking effects fertility. Newsflash: Smoking is bad for women no matter how much or how little they smoke! And bad for a woman also means bad for her fertility.
The Specifics
A woman who smokes is obviously more susceptible to the effects of nicotine and its effect on fertility. A scary fact about smoking and fertility is that menopause may actually occur earlier in women who smoke. This obviously affects their ability to ever get pregnant and have a child. Also, fewer eggs are produced by women who smoke and fewer eggs mean less probability of conception.
A critical factor in a woman getting pregnant involves the pregnancy rate per cycle. Smokers have a shorter cycle to work with and this can keep them from conceiving. So many ways that smoking can affect your ability to become pregnant exist that it is almost crazy for anyone to keep doing so—yet they do.
Aside from smoking effects on fertility, smoking can also seriously harm a pregnancy once it occurs by interfering with fetal development. An egg that has been fertilized may not make it to the right place or it can even get ‘caught’ in the fallopian tubes and lead to a tubal pregnancy (ectopic pregnancy). Women that smoke are at a higher risk of this type of pregnancy which can lead to serious complications such as scaring and permanent damage to the fallopian tubes or even death.
We’ll Say It Again…
If you’re a smoker then you probably don’t want to hear this again, but quitting smoking can benefit a woman immediately. The long-term risk and negatives can be quickly overcome by stopping—really stopping. Medical professionals warn women to be cautious of falling for the myth that smoking only a few cigarettes is okay. Heavy smokers will find it even tougher to quit smoking when it comes time to if they do become pregnant. Quitting now will make the transition easier as well as give you a better chance at becoming a mother.
Visit your doctor to find out how smoking can affect your chances of getting pregnant. Do not let something like a cigarette keep you from achieving your dream of having a baby.
