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- $Unique_ID{BRK01268}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{Is it Possible That Smoking Can Affect Fertility?}
- $Subject{pregnancy smoking infertility conception fertility conceive smoker
- cigarettes smoked pregnant infertile nonsmokers smoke lifestyle lifestyles
- smokes fertile cigarette fertile sterile sterility}
- $Volume{K-23}
- $Log{
- Indirect Problems Caused by Smoking*0007302.scf}
-
- Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
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-
- Is it Possible That Smoking Can Affect Fertility?
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-
- QUESTION: I have been trying to conceive for some time, without any success.
- I am a heavy smoker, and my husband is blaming this as the cause. Is it
- possible that smoking is affecting my fertility?
-
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-
- ANSWER: So it appears. While many factors affect a woman's chances of
- becoming pregnant, it seems that smoking is one of them.
- In one large study performed by British researchers to determine the
- factors that effect fertility, they discovered several factors, but the most
- significant one was smoking.
- There was a consistent connection between smoking and lack of fertility
- and the fertility rate went down as the number of cigarettes smoked per day
- went up. Women who smoked more than 15 cigarettes a day were only 80 percent
- as likely to become pregnant in any given month. Almost 11 percent of women
- who smoked 20 cigarettes a day (a pack) were infertile over a five-year
- period, versus only 5 percent of nonsmokers.
- No one is sure how smoking affects fertility, but it is known to alter
- the levels of estrogen found in a woman's urine. Also, women who smoke
- experience menopause sooner than those who don't. If you're trying to become
- pregnant (or even if you're not), it's advisable to stop smoking.
-
- ----------------
-
- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
- the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
- doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
- problem.
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-