News

10th February 2004

Smoking damages nearly all aspects of fertility and child health

The British Medical Association are calling for stricter anti-smoking regulations after a study, released today, suggests that smoking has a massive impact on fertility, reproduction and child health.

It says that 120,000 men in the UK aged between 30 and 50 suffer from impotence caused directly by smoking and the habit reduces the chances of a woman conceiving by 40% each cycle.

According to the report, smoking is also responsible for up to 5000 miscarriages a year and is linked with cervical cancer. Women on IVF reduce their chances of success if they smoke.

The study goes on to say that children of smokers also suffer, regardless of whether a parent smokes in the same room as them. It is estimated that more than 17,000 under-fives are admitted to hospital each year in the UK with smoking related illnesses.

Professor David Carter, Chairman of the Board of Science and Education at the BMA, says in the report "Smoking can compromise the capacity to have a family, and parental smoking can have long-term and serious consequences for child health. Exposure to secondhand smoke is a risk during pregnancy, and harms infants and children."

Dr Vivienne Nathanson, the BMA's Head of Science and Ethics, goes on to say, "The sheer scale of damage that smoking causes to reproductive and child health is shocking. Women are generally aware that they should not smoke while pregnant but the message needs to be far stronger."

As a result of the study, the BMA are calling for much stricter laws against smoking. Their recommendations are:

• Women exposed to passive smoking at work should be entitled to leave of absence on full pay throughout their pregnancy
• Tobacco warnings should include risks to reproductive health
• Smoking should not be glamorised in the media
• Government targets to reduce smoking should be more ambitious
• Enclosed public places should be smoke-free

• Share your thoughts in our Your Shout discussion forum
• If you're pregnant and finding it hard to give up smoking, call the NHS Smoking in Pregnancy helpline on 0800 169 9169, open from 12 noon until 9pm, seven days a week. The call is free and confidential and is manned by trained counsellors who know how difficult it is.
• Find out more about infertility issues .
• Learn how to get your body ready for pregnancy .