THE EFFECT OF SMOKING ON SPERM AND FERTILITY IN MEN

Background and Aim : Smoking is the most substance dependent in the world. Cigarette smoking effects not only on the lungs but also the health of the whole body. So far, studies have reported substantial harmful effects of cigarette smoking on fertility and reproduction in both genders. As half of the causes of infertility in couples have to do with men, and about one-third of the men in the world are smokers, smoking and male infertility might be dependent on each other. Thus, this challenging issue is worth an investigation.Methods : A PubMed/Medline and Google Scholar database search were conducted using the literature from 2000 to 2019. The search was performed using the combination and derivation of 30 articles from 60 articles.Results : Smoking has different effects on various types of semen analysis parameters. Most studies have reported that smoking leads to an inflammatory reaction in the reproductive system with an effect on the function of the accessory genital glands (seminal vesicle and prostatic), which leads to changes in the continent of semen fluid. Smoking in men effects on the quality of semen fluid and reduces the semen volume, sperm count, sperm viability, the percentage of sperm motility. Furthermore, smoking effects on the morphology of sperms and impairs the head, neck, and tail of the sperm. These side effects sperm brings about capacity reduction in fertility. Accordingly, the most negative impact of smoking on sperm health was stronger in heavy smokers compared to light smokers. Men who consume more than 20 cigars a day have a 19 percent reduction in sperm concentration, and sperm abnormalities are related to the amount of smoking per day.Conclusion : Due to the inconclusive effects of smoking on male infertility, researchers and therapists recommend smoking cessation as the best solution to the reduction of side effects on male reproductive parameters.

Keywords:

smoking , sperm , semen fluid , male infertility