Читать книгу Need to Know Fertility, Conception and Pregnancy - Harriet Sharkey - Страница 80

• Smoking reduces male and female fertility.

• Smoking will reduce your baby’s growth.

• While it is best to stop smoking long before conception, stopping during pregnancy will make a difference to your baby and your health. It is never too late to stop.

Research has shown that smoking may triple your chances of not being able to conceive. If your partner smokes, he needs to give up as well. Smoking can damage his sperm as well as expose you to passive smoking. However, if you do stop smoking, your fertility returns to normal.

Smoking robs the body of vitamins, especially vitamins B and C, and can cause a build-up of free radicals in the body. Free radicals are molecules that can damage blood vessels, such as those supplying the placenta, thus reducing the supply of nutrients for the developing baby. So smoking is linked to having a small baby as it reduces the ability of the placenta to supply the baby with all the nutrients and oxygen it needs to develop to its full potential. In addition, if you stop smoking, you reduce the risk of certain bleeding problems from the placenta that can complicate the pregnancy and put both you and your baby at risk. Even after pregnancy it is important not to smoke around your baby. This is because the baby will be more prone to ‘cot death’ and to breathing problems.

All this means that it is important that you stop smoking before becoming pregnant. If your partner is also a smoker, it would be best if you gave up together so that you can support each other. Smoking is a powerful addiction and so it can be very difficult to stop. Your doctor can provide advice or support to help you come off cigarettes or refer you to a smoking cessation programme.