Smoking and Fertility

What do you guys know about smoking and male fertility? I just read an article on it that has me a little worried. [name_f]My[/name_f] fiance is a very heavy smoker and I don’t know if the uber fertility goddess powers of my side will be enough to balance it out. I’ve already insisted he quit when I’m pregnant but how to convince him to cut back beforehand? Tips?

He’ll only quit if he wants to. Motivating him extrinsically just won’t work nearly as well as his own internal drive.

You are right though-- heavy smoking is strongly linked to decreased sperm counts, poor sperm morphology and motility, and lower male testosterone levels, in addition to damaging the DNA the sperm carry (thus theoretically increasing the risk of birth defects).

Your first point is spot on. I actually smoke too but I have been doing well cutting back so that I will be well weaned off by the time summer rolls around. With him I know he’d like to cut down but he never seems to effectively do it. :frowning:

Edit: not sure why I have cool guy glasses in my title, still getting used to posting from my kindle.

good luck to you both!

Thank you! I’m still months away from starting but I’m already reading up on things and making plans.

Good luck on quitting. [name_m]Blade[/name_m] already covered this, but, yes, smoking while trying to conceive will affect your chances. It’s not the greatest start for baby, so I’d definitely be encouraging him to quit as soon as possible (not just waiting until you’re actually pregnant).

Thanks! I’ve been doing really well, it helps that I’m much less stressed out these days (really crappy job for five years until [name_u]November[/name_u]). He’s more receptive to cutting back after showing him the article but still hem hawing about it a bit and muttering about needing a cigarette at work. He’s got a verrrrry demanding job. Does anyone have experience with the gum or patches or anything? I mean I’m not just worried about conception, I also want him to live a good long life.

When I began trying to conceive, I was a smoker and had been for years. I used the Nicorette lozenges to help with cravings. The instructions allow you to pop one pretty often to begin with, and then wean yourself off. I’ll be honest–they took the edge off, but I spent the first few days feeling feverish and wanting to murder everyone around me. I just couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel for a while. Nicotine is the devil! After that, it just slowly got better and better, but it took months, and I had even cut back before quitting completely. It is SO worth it though! I would do it again ten times over.

A couple of years before, my husband used Chantix and quit like it was nothing. I didn’t want to take it because I was trying to get pregnant, but it might work for your husband. It was a miracle for mine. You’re allowed to smoke while using it, but your brain doesn’t receive the pleasure signals anymore, so it loses its appeal fast (at least that’s how I understand it. He’ll have to talk to a doc of course!) While taking it, my husband just didn’t want to smoke anymore, period. Compare that to me, who had to fight for months. I was a little jealous.

A simple quit smoking app on my phone has helped too. You can track how many cigarettes you have saved yourself from and how much money you have saved. It also sends you alerts when you’ve reached milestones like cilia regrowth, better circulation, etc.

Good luck!

Thank you so much r_j! I really appreciate the tips and will be passing the info along to my fiance.

[name_f]My[/name_f] husband and I are starting ttc in the summer as well and he doesn’t smoke but he chews tobacco. He has been trying to quit for some time now but now that we are getting closer he is very determined to be done before we get pregnant. I made a chart for him and every day after work he either puts a check mark or an x depending on whether he used tobacco that day or not. I know it may seem childish but its actually working for him. He is going on two weeks with only one slip up day. I know I didn’t really give you any information but just letting you know other people are in similar situations! So good luck!!

Ughhhhhh, mine chews too but only at work – I throw a fit when I see the canister! You may have something there though, it’s like r_j’s suggestion of the phone app – it always helps to see visual confirmation of one’s progress.