Smoking Lowers IVF Success

Female smokers who want to undergo In Vitro Fertilization treatment as well as men whose wives plan to undergo IVF should stop smoking at least two to three months before beginning the treatment, says Sara Mokhtar, a gynecologist, IRNA reported. Female smokers should take higher doses of medication to stimulate ovulation during IVF treatment compared to non-smokers, she said. “The number of eggs released by their ovaries is less than the number for non-smoker women and their eggs are of inferior quality, which lowers their chance of having healthy babies,” she said. Smoking hampers production of healthy eggs in women and can lead to premature menopause.