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 In this section:

                Health Effects of Tobacco Use

Health Effects of Tobacco Use

                        Nicotine Is Why Tobacco Products Are Addictive
          How Smoking Affects Heart Health
          Keep Your Air Clear: How Tobacco Can Harm Your Lungs
          How Smoking Can Increase Risk for and Affect Diabetes
          Chemicals in Tobacco Products and Your Health
          What It’s Like to Quit Smoking
          How Smoking Affects Reproductive Health
          How Smoking Can Contribute to Vision Loss and Blindness
          Health Fraud
          Quitting Smoking and Other Tobacco Public Health Resources Home
          Tobacco Products
          Public Health Education
          Health Effects of Tobacco Use
          How Smoking Affects Reproductive HealthHealth Effects of Tobacco Use How Smoking Affects Reproductive Health
  
  	
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How Does Smoking Affect Fertility, Hormone Production, and Conception When Trying to Get Pregnant?
	How Does Smoking During Pregnancy Affect My Baby’s Fetal Development?
	Can Smoking Put Me at Risk for Cervical Cancer?
	Can Smoking Put Me at Risk for Erectile Dysfunction?
	Can Smoking Increase My Likelihood of Dying From Prostate Cancer?How Does Smoking Affect Fertility, Hormone Production, and Conception When Trying to Get Pregnant?

**Smoking cigarettes can have negative health effects on fertility, making it harder to conceive.**

Research shows that:

Smoking can reduce fertility,1  making it difficult to conceive.
	Smoking may negatively affect hormone production.2
	Smoking and exposure to tobacco smoke can harm the reproductive system.2
	Smoking can damage the DNA in sperm.3If you or someone you love is trying to conceive and uses tobacco, learn more about what it’s like to quit smoking and get started on the path to a smoke-free life.

Smoking before, during and after pregnancy can harm a baby's health
How Does Smoking During Pregnancy Affect My Baby’s Fetal Development?

**Smoking during pregnancy can cause pregnancy complications, negative health effects on the unborn child, miscarriage, and death.**

Smoking during pregnancy can put you at a higher risk of pregnancy complications, such as preterm labor and delivery.3

Smoking during pregnancy can also result in negative health outcomes for the unborn baby.1,4 Every year, approximately 400,000 U.S. infants are exposed to cigarette smoke and its chemicals in the womb.2 These babies are at risk of a number of complications including:

Low birth weight.
	Lungs that fail to develop properly.
	Birth defects such as cleft lip and/or cleft palate.
	Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).3The chemicals in cigarette smoke may put you at risk for an ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg fails to reach the womb, but instead begins to grow outside of the womb. This serious condition almost always results in death of the unborn child, and in some cases, death of the mother as well.

Additionally, there is some evidence that smoking during pregnancy may result in miscarriage of the fetus or unborn baby.2

**No tobacco product is safe to use during pregnancy**. Nearly all tobacco products—including most e-cigarettes—contain nicotine, which can cross the placenta and interfere with fetal and postnatal development.5

If you’re pregnant and interested in quitting smoking, consult with your health care provider to talk about your reproductive health. You can also get free resources for quitting while pregnant, including a texting program to offer support for pregnant people trying to quit.

Can Smoking Put Me at Risk for Cervical Cancer?

**Yes, smoking cigarettes can cause cervical cancer**.1 This type of cancer occurs in the cervix, the lower, narrow end of the uterus that forms a canal between the uterus and vagina.

Within just a few years of quitting smoking, risk of cervical cancer is reduced.1 If you use tobacco and want to quit, there are resources that can help you quit smoking.

Can Smoking Put Me at Risk for Erectile Dysfunction?

**Yes, smoking can increase your risk for erectile dysfunction**,3 a condition in which you are unable to get or keep an erection firm enough for satisfactory sexual intercourse.

Can Smoking Increase My Likelihood of Dying From Prostate Cancer?

**Yes, smoking can increase your likelihood of dying from prostate cancer**.3 The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system and produces a fluid that forms part of the semen. Prostate cancer begins in the prostate.

If you have prostate cancer and smoke, you may be more likely to die from the disease than those with prostate cancer who don’t smoke.3

References
	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS). The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress. A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2014.
	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office on Smoking and Health. Smoking and Reproduction Fact Sheet. Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health 50th Anniversary. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/50th-anniversary/pdfs/fs_smoking_reproduction_508.pdf. Accessed November 5, 2021.
	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS). Let’s Make the Next Generation Tobacco-Free: Your Guide to the 50th Anniversary Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health (Consumer Booklet). Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2014.
	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: US Dept of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2006.
	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS). E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2016.

                                                                                  Content current as of:
      11/09/2021
              
              
Regulated Product(s)
		 TobaccoHealth Effects of Tobacco Use

          
                        Nicotine Is Why Tobacco Products Are Addictive
          How Smoking Affects Heart Health
          Keep Your Air Clear: How Tobacco Can Harm Your Lungs
          How Smoking Can Increase Risk for and Affect Diabetes
          Chemicals in Tobacco Products and Your Health
          What It’s Like to Quit Smoking
          How Smoking Affects Reproductive Health
          How Smoking Can Contribute to Vision Loss and Blindness
          Health Fraud
          Quitting Smoking and Other Tobacco Public Health Resources
 
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