Conception is such a delicate process that making sure "all your ducks are in a row" is vital when trying for a baby. What this means is cutting out risk factors which may hamper the process.

The issue of smoking and infertility doesn't seem to be as well promoted as perhaps infertility and alcohol but studies have shown that smoking can affect conception in several ways.

The thing to remember always when your dealing with infertility issues is that it may not be a collection of causes which may be the issue but something more individual.

That's why when infertility is first suspected people are often told to keep a positive mind because more often than not, the cause can be pinpointed in time and conception can become a reality.

So smoking and infertility could be one of those single causes which could be "upsetting the entire applecart." If you and your partner smoke then definitely consider putting cigarettes "on the backburner" at least.

How Smoking Can Affect Fertility

So how can smoking affect the reproductive system? It's not a mystery that tobacco contains several substances which can be considered toxic. Studies conducted on smoking and infertility have found several vital factors including:

- Smoking could affect how the egg matures, ovulation rates and the fertilization rates
- There could also be issues surrounding chromosomal abnormalities in the eggs exposed to nicotine.

- Egg quality could also be an issue and studies have shown in many instances, overall quality and number of eggs are reduced in the women who are smokers.

- When it comes to smoking and infertility, there are numbers of follicles reduced for vitro fertilization and there are fewer eggs retrieved in this process.

- And there is also the issue of a low rate of egg fertilization in treatments with the chance of an increased possibility of miscarriage.

Can Smoking Affect Male Fertility?

It's also been established that smoking can contribute to male infertility issues. Studies are still a little unclear how smoking affects sperm count but studies have shown that sperm count is usually lower in smokers and there is an increased chance of abnormality.

There isn’t enough evidence supporting second hand smoke and tests are still being done in this area. There also isn’t enough evidence to prove any theories on what happens to an embryo when it ingests second hand smoke.

However, if you can have complications from first hand smoke, you can assume second hand smoke will not be much better. This information should help you to make better decisions about smoking because now you know how smoking and infertility can work together.

In the end, it all depends how serious you and your partner are about conception. While smoking may not be the only issue which can affect fertility it can certainly hamper conception.

When it comes to infertility, having all your bases covered means eliminating all the risk factors and if you and your partner indulge in cigarettes then consider giving them up.