Minimizing or - even better - abstaining completely from cigarette smoking is one of the most important changes a man can make to improve their fertility. Smoking is clearly associated with decreased sperm concentration and poor sperm motility, and some studies suggest that it also causes sperm DNA damage. Among men who smoke, heavy smokers are likely to have worse sperm quality compared with moderate or light smokers (and certainly non-smokers). A number of toxic cigarette smoke factors, particularly carbon monoxide, nicotine, and cadmium, have been implicated as causing negative effects on sperm. Cigarette toxins also reduce semen volume and increase
Minimization or complete avoidance of smokeless tobacco exposure (vaping) is also recommended to optimize your fertility. Although the impact of vaping nicotine on male fertility is not as well understood as the impact of smoking cigarettes, nicotine appears to have reproductive toxicity in any form. The use of electronic cigarettes results in high levels of systemic nicotine exposure, as well as exposure to ultrafine particles, organic compounds, and heavy metals with unknown reproductive effects.
