By LUCY OSUIZIGBO-OKECHUKWU

An Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Dr Abosede Lewu, says men and women, who smoke cigarettes experience high infertility rate than nonsmokers, due to health risks associated with smoking.

Lewu, Team Lead at Girlsaide Initiative and Convener, Keep All Mothers Alive (KAMA) Project, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday that such smoking men and women were “smoking away their babies”.

She said that cigarette contained many harmful chemicals such as nicotine, cyanide and carbon monoxide that could affect fertility in both men and women negatively.

“In women of childbearing age, smoking can speed up the loss rate of eggs, and they would not conceive as efficiently as nonsmokers.

“In pregnant women, smoking can cause miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, anomalies in babies, damage baby’s lungs, and also cause preterm contractions and even make baby small for his or her age.

“Later in life, sons of smoking mums can have low sperm count.

“In men, smoking can reduce sperm count, affect ability of sperm to move, causes abnormal sperm with damaged DNA, reduce volume of semen and decrease the sperm’s ability to fertilise egg,” she said.

Lewu said that a smoking man or woman could also put their partners at risk through second hand smoke and they could suffer all the associated health risks.

She, however, said that quitting smoking was one of the best natural ways to boost fertility.

According to her, if you quit smoking, fertility will improve, but does not reverse the decreased egg supply in women.

“Sadly, most people are not aware of the reproductive risks of smoking.

“And, we need to start educating and making people understand that smoking is a risk factor for infertility. So, they need to stop,” Lewu said. (NAN)

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