• Question: has the sperm developed in anyway if you smoke or take drugs

    Asked by hcooper13 to Clare on 13 Mar 2014.
    • Photo: Clare Nevin

      Clare Nevin answered on 13 Mar 2014:

      Yes definitely. The chemicals in cigarettes and drugs like marijuana generate oxidative stress which is where oxygen free radicals that are highly reactive attack proteins, lipids and nucleic acids like DNA. So biomolecules in cells are damaged. This leads to a reduction in sperm production in the testes (so your sperm count goes down) and there is also a reduction in motility and good sperm morphology. These parameters are important for fertilisation. In addition, free oxygen radicals can fragment sperm DNA which can have damaging effects on embryo development. Men that are going to have IVF are not permitted to smoke as we know it reduces the fertilising capacity of the sperm.

      However, smoking itself does not make you completely infertile. It can reduce your fertilisation chances if you already have a low sperm count or poor sperm motility.

      Obviously smoking has huge implications for health in other ways (e.g. lung cancer), so that is the main reason to stay off the things!

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