The Harmful Effects Of Smoking

The Effects of Smoking on Fertility

The addictive effects of Smoking - Facts About Nicotine Inhalation:

When you lit up your cigarettes, you inhale nicotine into your lungs. Nicotine is a very strong stimulant that increases your blood flow and pulse rate. Once you get over the initial discomforts from your first puff, you find that it can actually help you focus, at least temporarily. The addictive effect of smoking kicks in as you continue with this habit and rely more and more on it to help you concentrate. Soon, you'll be hooked. You've become a smoker.

The harmful effects of smoking is not confined to the nicotine that is found in it. Besides nicotine, your cigarettes contain the following harmful ingredients:

Acetone - which is used to make paint stripper
Ammonia - which is found in toilet cleaners
Butane - which is a form of lighter fuel
Beta-naphthyl methylether - which you called mothballs
Hydrogen cyanide - which is the poison used in gas chambers
Methanol - which is a rocket fuel
Arsenic - which is used in pesticides, herbicides and insecticides
Carbon monoxide - which is the poisonous gas found in car exhausts, and
Miscellaneous ingredients - cocoa, sugars and dried fruit extracts to enhance the taste of cigarettes

The negative effects of smoking over years will expose you to many diseases. If you're a regular smoker, you'll run the risk of developing serious illnesses like cancers, heart disease and bronchitis. At the least, you'll suffer from bad breath, coughs, chest complaints and has yellow teeth and finger stains. This habit can potentially shorten your life span too.

The Harmful Effect of Smoking On Fertility, Conception and Pregnancy

Smoking and fertility, what's the impact?

It is official. Smoking is bad for your fertility. It is bad for you in all stages of reproduction, from conception to the growth and development of your fetus in your uterus. Look at the findings below:

Pre-conception Stage:

Lighting up makes it harder and longer for you to conceive.
It disrupts your menstrual cycle.

During Pregnancy:

Nicotine makes the blood vessels in your placenta constrict, hardens your placenta and hinders the delivery of oxygen and essential nutrients to your baby.
It is estimated that 20 to 30% of low-birth weight babies are delivered by smoker-moms.
It may also accounts for 14% of preterm deliveries. Premature birth is the leading cause of neonatal death.
The detrimental effects of smoking is also associated with higher levels of miscarriage, spontaneous abortions and ectopic pregnancies.
Your unborn child is most susceptible to your nicotine inhalation during the second and third trimesters of your pregnancy.
It increases the risk of complications at birth, sometimes exposing you or baby to the risk of death from hemorrhage.

Effects On Babies Born To Moms Who Smoke During Pregnancy

Babies born to these moms are more likely to have ear infections and respiratory illnesses both immediately and throughout life.
There is also a higher chance of having babies with a cleft-palate or hare-lip.
They are at a greater risk of dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Some of the negative effects on child development are decreased height and physical growth, learning disabilities, mental retardation and attention deficit disorder.

The Good News:
The effects of smoking, however, are reversible.
Even if you've been addicted for years, if you stop the habit before you're pregnant, you can avoid these negative consequences.

Fertility Problems Encountered By Men Who Puff:

Men who smoke have problems getting and maintaining an erection.
Nicotine also reduces testosterone levels in men, affecting the development and quality of sperm.

Kick The Habit? Where Can You Go For Help?

Giving up an addictive habit is always tough, but there's plenty of help out there once you've made up your mind.

Here is a site that may help you if you're living in the United States and is pregnant or planning to conceive.

If you can't find suitable help from the above links, you may like to do a search in Google

The bottomline is this:

To avoid all undesirable consequences, stop smoking before your get pregnant, or if you're already pregnant, the sooner you stop, the more benefits you'll pass on to your unborn child.

Remember that the effects of smoking are reversible!!!

Persuade your spouse to quit with you.

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