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Fertility NewsSmoking Leads to Infertility in Children - 06/18/2007 Women who smoke during pregnancy may be putting their sons at risk for infertility, a growing body of research indicates. The latest study findings show that the greater the number of cigarettes a mom smokes while she is pregnant, the lower her sons' total sperm count will be in adulthood. Smoking during the last month of pregnancy has a particularly detrimental effect on male sperm count. Previous research showed a link between prenatal tobacco smoke exposure and semen quality but results were inconsistent. Also, studies relied on participants' memory of their smoking history during pregnnacy. In the current study, researchers evaluated semen quality in 347 men aged 18 to 21, 99 of whom were born to non smokers. The men were ranked according to in utero smoke exposure. The 248 exposed participants had a lower total sperm count compared to their nonexposed peers. Men exposed to the greatest amounts of tobacco smoke (over 19 cigarettes a day) had 19% lower semen volume, 38% lower total sperm count levels and 17% lower levels of sperm concentration compared to those individuals who had not been exposed to smoking in utero. Cotinine, the main metabolite found in nicotine, is known to cross the placenta and might also have the ability to cross the barrier located between blood and the testes; in addition, other components of tobacco smoke may also have a direct toxic effect on the fetal testes. Source: Health24.com Fertility News Archive |
