How NOT smoking could increase risk of infertility and early menopause

PASSIVE smoking increases risk of infertility advises new study

 

WOMEN are at high risk of infertility and an early menopause even if they DON’T smoke, frightening research has found.

 

Women exposed to first AND second hand smoke may be at greater risk of the conditions, with infertility rising by up to 18 per cent for women with the highest levels of passive smoking, according to a groundbreaking new study.

Although tobacco use has previous been associated with infertility issues and earlier menopause, this is one of the first studies to explore the effects of smoking AND passive smoking on women’s fertility in greater detail.

Researchers analysed tobacco exposure of 93,676 women aged 50-79. 

 



Both passive non-smokers and smokers are at risk of early menopause



 

The women were asked whether they has ever smoked and, if so, at what age, how many years they had smoked and how many cigarettes they had each day.

Women who had never smoked were asked to provide details about whether they had ever lived with a smoker, or exposed to tobacco smoke in the workplace.

Fertility data was then collected from the women and their partners, as well as information about natural menopause.

Worryingly, the study highlighted that women with the highest levels of passive smoking - living with a smoker in childhood for at least 10 years, working with a smoker for at least 10, or living with a partner who had smoked for 20+ years, meant a raised infertility risk of a huge 18 per cent.

 



Smoking raises infertility risk



 

Compared to non-smokers, the team found that the female smokers or ex-smokers were 14 per cent more likely to experience infertility issue and a quarter more likely to experience early menopause, before the age of 50. 

The women who smoked the most - before the age of 15 - experienced menopause an average of 22 months before non-smokers, not exposed to passive smoking.

Women who smoked a minimum of 25 cigarettes daily had menopause 18 months before non-smokers.

They also discovered that those exposed to the most secondhand smoke experienced menopause over a year before they turned 50.

 

Women who smoked a minimum of 25 cigarettes daily had menopause 18 months before non-smokers.

 

Researchers took many other influential factors in to account, such as body mass index (BMI), physical exercise, exposure to insecticides, oral contraceptive use and age of starting their first period.

The authors said: "It is one of the first studies of this size and statistical power to investigate and quantify active and passive smoking and women's health issues. It strengthens the current evidence that all women need to be protected from active and passive tobacco smoke.”

The findings have been published in Tobacco Control.