The World Health Organization, WHO, has warned that smoking can reduce the chances of conceiving, linking tobacco use to infertility, reproductive problems and lower success rates for some fertility treatments.
In a statement, WHO said smoking could affect women’s reproductive health, while also damaging sperm quality and sexual function in men.
The organisation added that people who do not smoke may also face reproductive risks through exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke.
WHO said about one in six people of reproductive age experience infertility at some point in their lifetime.
It defined infertility as the inability to achieve pregnancy after 12 months of regular unprotected sexual intercourse.
According to the organisation, a review of studies conducted between 2000 and 2026 found that women who currently smoke had a 40 per cent higher risk of infertility than women who do not smoke.
WHO also highlighted the impact of smoking on male fertility.
A review of 44 studies involving more than 60,000 men linked tobacco use to erectile dysfunction, ejaculation problems and abnormalities in semen quality.
The abnormalities include poor sperm movement, abnormal sperm shape and, in some cases, absence of sperm in semen, all of which can affect reproductive potential.
The global health body further warned that smoking could reduce the effectiveness of fertility treatments.
It cited evidence from 21 studies suggesting that cigarette smoking could roughly halve the chances of successful outcomes from assisted reproductive procedures such as in-vitro fertilisation.
WHO has therefore urged healthcare providers to discuss tobacco-related reproductive risks with people planning to have children and provide evidence-based support to help tobacco users quit.
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