Sex may permeate our popular culture, but conversations about it are still associated with stigma and shame in Indian households. As a result, most individuals dealing with sexual health issues or trying to find information about sex often resort to unverified online sources or follow the unscientific advice of their friends.
To address the widespread misinformation about sex, News18.com is running this weekly sex column, titled ‘Let’s Talk Sex’. We hope to initiate conversations about sex through this column and address sexual health issues with scientific insight and nuance.
In this article, we will explain how smoking hurts your fertility, sex drive, and relationships — and why quitting will be the best gift you can give yourself and your partner.
You may think smoking only impacts your lungs and health down the road, but the damage starts right away. Every puff of a cigarette sends thousands of chemicals coursing through your body, wreaking havoc on your fertility and performance in the bedroom. If you’re trying to conceive or just want to reconnect with your partner, ditching the cigarettes needs to be a priority. Within days of quitting, your body starts to heal and your sex life gets a boost.
Smoking Reduces Fertility in Both Men and Women
Smoking significantly hurts your chances of getting pregnant and enjoying an active sex life. Here’s how:
• Nicotine constricts blood vessels, reducing blood flow to your reproductive organs. This makes it harder for sperm to reach and fertilize an egg. For women, it inhibits ovulation and egg quality.
• Smoking accelerates the aging process of your eggs and sperm, reducing fertility. Women over 35 and men over 40 will find their chances of conceiving drop even faster.
• Erectile dysfunction is more common in smokers. The chemicals in cigarettes damage blood vessels and nerves in the penis, making it difficult to achieve an erection.
• Vaginal lubrication decreases in female smokers, leading to discomfort during sex. Smoking also accelerates skin aging and wrinkling, negatively impacting self-esteem and body image.
Smoking Accelerates Ovarian Aging and Menopause in Women
Studies show that smokers experience menopause 1 to 4 years sooner than non-smokers. This means your ovaries stop releasing eggs and producing hormones at a younger age. The result? A shorter fertile window and higher odds of infertility.
Not only that, but smoking also damages the quality of your eggs. The toxins in cigarette smoke can lead to genetic abnormalities and cell damage in eggs that make conception and healthy pregnancy much harder.
Erectile Dysfunction and Impotence in Men
As a smoker, you’re more prone to erectile dysfunction (ED) and difficulty getting or maintaining an erection. Nicotine constricts your blood vessels, limiting blood flow to your penis. This makes it difficult for you to achieve an erection. Smoking also damages the lining of your arteries, further impeding blood flow. Kicking the habit can significantly improve your sex life and fertility. Within just 1 year of quitting, your ED risk is cut in half. After 2-5 years of being smoke-free, your ED risk returns to that of a non-smoker. Your stamina and endurance will also increase, allowing you to last longer during sex.
Smoking During Pregnancy Can Harm Your Baby
When you’re pregnant, everything you put into your body affects your baby. Smoking is particularly harmful and can have lasting impacts on your child’s health.
• Nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide from cigarettes enter your bloodstream and travel through the placenta to your baby. This can slow your baby’s growth before birth and lead to low birth weight.
• Smoking also increases the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
• Children exposed to second-hand smoke in the womb have a higher chance of developing asthma, allergies, and other respiratory problems.
• Smoking may also affect your baby’s brain development and behaviour. Studies show children of smokers are more prone to ADHD, conduct disorders, and learning disabilities.
The effects of smoking during pregnancy can persist long after your baby is born. Do your future child a favour – quit as soon as possible. Speak to your doctor about ways to stop smoking for good. The health of your baby is worth the effort. After all, you have a little life depending on you!
Quitting Smoking Improves Your Sex Life and Fertility
• Improved Fertility: Quitting smoking will improve your chances of getting pregnant. Smoking damages your reproductive health and fertility in both men and women. In women, it can hurt your ovaries and fallopian tubes, make your periods irregular, and speed up menopause. In men, it lowers sperm count and quality. Kicking the habit boosts fertility in both sexes and improves the odds of conceiving.
• Better Sex: Smoking reduces blood flow to your genitals, making it harder to get aroused and reach orgasm. It stains your teeth and gives you bad breath, and the smell of smoke on your body and clothes is a turn off for many partners. Quitting leads to improved arousal, stronger orgasms, fresher breath, and an all-around better sexual experience for you and your partner.
• Healthier Pregnancy: For women, quitting before getting pregnant has major benefits. It lowers the risks of ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, and birth defects. It also decreases the chances of complications like placenta previa or placental abruption. Smoking during pregnancy stunts fetal growth and development, but quitting early on can help ensure your baby grows healthily.
Conclusion
So there you have it, the cold hard facts about how your smoking habit is seriously damaging your chances of getting pregnant and having an enjoyable sex life. The impacts are significant and far-reaching, but the good news is you have the power to make positive changes right now that will have huge benefits for your health and relationships. Quitting smoking won’t be easy, but it will be one of the best gifts you can give yourself and your partner.
Talk to your doctor about ways to quit and stick with it – your body and sex life will thank you, and you’ll increase your odds of finally getting to hold that baby you’ve always wanted. The time for excuses is over; your future is in your hands. Make the choice today to break up with your cigarettes for good.
Prof (Dr) Saransh Jain is the winner of the Swasth Bharat Rattan Award and is a Certified and Licensed Sexologist by the American Board of Sexology. He is currently a Senior Consultant at Dr SK Jain’s Burlington Clinic in Lucknow. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.
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