How Smoking Affects Bones, Reproduction and Fertility

Published at 29 January, 2018.

The Smokefree Health Harms campaign is in its sixth year for 2018, and is raising awareness to smokers by highlighting the immediate and personal harm to your body every time you smoke a cigarette. The campaign is also helping to boost quit attempts across your local area, providing a range of resources and help so you don’t have to do it alone.

In our fourth week – bones and reproduction/fertility, and how stopping smoking for good can prevent the chance of cervical cancer and miscarriage.

Bones

If you’re a heavy smoker, you may have noticed a change in your bones and movement. Smoking causes your bones to become weak and brittle and may even be prone to breaking more easily than for someone who is active and a non-smoker. Women in particular need to be extra careful, as they are more likely to suffer with osteoporosis, or brittle bones, than people who never smoke.

Reproduction/Fertility

Both males and females can be greatly affected by the results of smoking in terms of reproduction and fertility. Smoking can cause male impotence, as well as damaging sperm, reducing sperm count and can also be a cause of testicular cancer. A shocking 120,000 men in the UK in their 20’s and 30’s are impotent as a direct result of smoking. Men are also found to have a lower sperm count than non-smokers.

For women, smoking can reduce fertility levels and are over three time more likely than non-smokers to have taken more than one year to conceive. A study estimated that the fertility of smoking women was 72% less than that of non-smokers.

Smoking is particularly dangerous for pregnant women, as it can lead to premature birth, stillbirths and miscarriages. It alarmingly increases the risk of cot death by 25%. There is support available if you are pregnant and are still smoking. The good news is that once you stop smoking, your health improves and your body will begin to recover.

Want to stop smoking?

Quitting is the best thing you’ll ever do. For free, local advice in the Yorkshire area, get in touch and transform your life into a Smokefree one!

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