My husband smokes. Does it affect my chances of getting pregnant?
Yes, it does.
While all smokers are not infertile, if your husband smokes, there is a high probability that his sperms are damaged and hence not likely to fertilize your eggs. There are multiple research studies that point out that smoking and infertility in men are closely linked. In fact, if you consider the long list of problems that smoking may lead to, there is no better time than now as you are planning to start a family to encourage your husband to kick this habit.

• Top 5 Reasons Your Husband Should Quit Smoking
• How Can I Encourage My Husband To Quit Smoking?

Top 5 Reasons Your Husband Should Quit Smoking

If you are trying to conceive, here are five important reasons why your partner should quit smoking NOW

1. Smoking can reduce his sperm count and motility:

Research clearly shows that smoking can lower the sperm count and cause motility problems (lesser the motility, slower the sperm would move, hence reducing the chances of it reaching the egg). A healthy sperm count with high quality sperms is necessary for you to get pregnant – and smoking can impair that.
Then how do many couples get pregnant when husband is a smoker? If your partner has plenty of high quality sperm, then smoking may or may not affect his fertility. But if he has borderline quantity and quality to begin with, then smoking would further degrade the quality affecting his fertility. So if you are having difficulty getting pregnant, then smoking could very well be a culprit. Read more about smoking and low sperm count here

2. Smoking can result in erectile dysfunction:

There are also multiple studies that have documented a strong association between smoking and erectile dysfunction. Smoking can result in atherosclerosis, which is a plaque-like build up in arteries, which in turn causes circulatory problems, including, but not limited to, erectile dysfunction. Put simply, more smoke = higher chances of impotence.

3. Passive smoking can affect your fertility:

Even if the woman trying to conceive (that is, YOU) does not smoke, you are still exposed to the toxic chemicals, which is as damaging to your fertility as it would have been if you smoked yourself. Some of the problems that can occur are ovulation problems, egg damage and reproductive organ damage.

4. Being exposed to smoking increases the chances of miscarriage:

If you are exposed to the toxins in smoking, then the risk does not end if you conceive. There is anecdotal evidence that suggests that women exposed to passive smoking show a higher probability of miscarriage. Smoking also results in multiple health problems for yourself and baby while in womb, like genetic issues, ectopic pregnancy and preterm labor.

5. And some good news:

If your partner quits smoking, there will be a marked improvement in his fertility within 1-2 months: One point of relief among all these morbid facts is that if your husband quits smoking, his sperm’s count and motility will show improvement within 4 to 6 weeks. In fact, it might become as healthy as a non-smokers in a year. This means that every month after quitting, there is a higher chance of you getting pregnant
The reasons do not end here. Even if you conceive and deliver a healthy baby, smoking can continue to pose a risk to your family. Smoke hangs around for up to 5 hours inside the house. This can cause the following problems in children: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

and a host of respiratory problems like asthma, bronchitis and croup. It is also known to cause more serious and severe diseases like cancer and meningitis in children.

How Can I Encourage My Husband To Quit Smoking?

There are many health centers and online help material available on this topic. But here are few tips that you can start with.

• Keep in mind that you are dealing with an adult. If your husband knows the facts mentioned in this article, it is likely he would want to quit. So do not push so hard that he will go on defensive
• Explain to him that it is the best gift he can give to you and the family
• Be very supportive during the quitting process. It cannot happen in one day. So if you expect too much from him and go very hard on him when he falters, it might demotivate him further
• Offer many distractions so that your husband can distress and not crave for smoking. One positive thing to talk about is planning a healthy future with kids
• Listen to him. As much as you think you want him to quit so that you can get pregnant, remember that this is about them not you. Try to get his perspective and the challenges he is facing

You can even ask him to read the study that clearly states the effect of smoking and men’s fertility by clicking here
Here is hoping you will be welcoming a little one soon into your family! All the best!