Smoking, Drinking and Male Infertility

Does your day start with a smoke and ends with a glass of wine? How many cigarettes do you light in a day? Are you a heavy drinker? These questions are important as smoking and alcohol consumption not only affect your general health but will also have a drastic effect on male reproductive system. Let us have a look as to how they affect male fertility

Smoking
You must be aware that smoking leads to hoards of ailments like heart diseases, cancers, and numerous other respiratory disorders. Smoking also causes male infertility. It lowers sperm count and affects the quality of sperms. This means it will increase the number of abnormal sperms and reduce the motility of sperms. As the quality is affected then fertilization of the ovum will also be affected. This decreases the chances of conceiving in couples.
Smoking may also increase the incidences of miscarriages. As per research reports, the toxicity of cigarette smoking could decrease the sperm density up to 23% and sperm mobility to 13%. But medical studies have shown that the sperm counts rises when a man stops smoking. For couples trying to conceive and especially when men whose semen analysis report shows sperm count and motility as borderline then they should serious consider giving up smoking.

Alcohol Consumption
Besides liver, alcohol consumption is also damaging to the male reproductive system. Researches have shown that in humans, the alcohol intake has shown to lower the sperm count and cause temporary impotency in men. Testosterone is the male hormone that contributes to sperm production. Alcohol causes reduced testosterone levels. As alcohol damages the liver, alcoholics are more likely to have higher levels of oestrogen in their body that can severely suppress sperm production. This will also affect the quality and motility of sperm. Alcoholics often have problems with achieving and maintaining an erection. Alcohol reduces the libido which is a clear hindrance in conceiving.
But this condition may be reversible once the drug or alcohol abuse stops. It is advisable to stop alcohol consumption when you are planning for a pregnancy.