- News>
- Health & Medicine
Smokers take longer to conceive: Study
Women who smoke while trying for a baby take longer to conceive than non-smokers, researchers said on Wednesday.
Women who smoke while trying for a baby take longer to conceive than non-smokers, researchers said on Wednesday.
A new study by scientists at the Institute of Health Sciences at Oxford University showed it took smokers almost two months longer to become pregnant than women who had never smoked or those who had quit more than a year earlier.
"The study clearly shows a link between smoking and fertility problems," said Marcus Munafo, who led the research team.
"The message from this research is that if you want to get pregnant, you will not only improve your chances by quitting, you will also be doing something to protect the health of your child in the long term," he added in a statement.
Munafo and his colleagues compared the time it took 569 women -- smokers, ex-smokers and those who had never smoked -- to conceive. The average age of the women, who were a representative sample of the general population, was 29.
On average, smokers took two months longer to conceive, but the scientists found no difference between women who had never smoked and those who had quit at least a year previously.
"This is good news for women smokers who are thinking of trying for a baby as it shows it is never too late to give up. A year after quitting, a woman`s chances of conceiving return to those of a never-smoker," said Munafo, whose research is reported in the Journal of Biosocial Science.
A new study by scientists at the Institute of Health Sciences at Oxford University showed it took smokers almost two months longer to become pregnant than women who had never smoked or those who had quit more than a year earlier.
"The study clearly shows a link between smoking and fertility problems," said Marcus Munafo, who led the research team.
"The message from this research is that if you want to get pregnant, you will not only improve your chances by quitting, you will also be doing something to protect the health of your child in the long term," he added in a statement.
Munafo and his colleagues compared the time it took 569 women -- smokers, ex-smokers and those who had never smoked -- to conceive. The average age of the women, who were a representative sample of the general population, was 29.
On average, smokers took two months longer to conceive, but the scientists found no difference between women who had never smoked and those who had quit at least a year previously.
"This is good news for women smokers who are thinking of trying for a baby as it shows it is never too late to give up. A year after quitting, a woman`s chances of conceiving return to those of a never-smoker," said Munafo, whose research is reported in the Journal of Biosocial Science.
In addition to delaying conception, smoking during pregnancy is linked to higher infant mortality, an increased risk of respiratory infection and lower-weight babies, scientific studies have shown.
"When trying to conceive, many women often change their lifestyle by cutting down on their alcohol intake, taking vitamins and minerals and eating a healthier diet. This study shows that stopping smoking should be part of this pre-conception routine," Munafo said.
Bureau Report