smoking could affect fertility

NEWS

By Maria Angela Parajo

11/06/2014

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A study in the Fertility and Sterility journal has found that cigarette smoking can be associated with abnormalities in the DNA of male sperm.

 

Professor Joel Mackay from the School of Molecular Bioscience at the University of Sydney says that there is a possibility of epigenetic information after fertilisation to be incorrectly wiped out. Meaning that if the histones, which are the proteins that protect sperm DNA, are affected by cigarette smoking or other environmental issues, then sperm DNA could be exposed to higher rates of damage.

 

With one in six Australian couples experiencing some form of infertility, this research could be a wake up call to quit smoking.

 

Doctor Mark Bowman from the Genea Fertility Clinic says that by stopping to smoke, cigarette-related impact on sperm count would improve a man’s sperm tests within three months.

 

The research provides additional evidence for smoking cessation in fertility patients.

 

Watch the full story below.