No, it is not safe for men or women to smoke during the preconception period or pregnancy. Smoking before and during pregnancy can have serious negative impacts on fertility, pregnancy outcomes, and the health of the baby.
There is a dose-response relationship, with higher paternal smoking levels leading to greater risk. Smoking can also cause male impotence, conception delay, and infertility.
For women, smoking before pregnancy reduces fertility, increases egg damage, miscarriage, and difficulty conceiving.
During pregnancy, maternal smoking increases the risks of spontaneous abortion, ectopic pregnancy, low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), premature birth, and other fetal and maternal complications.
Even secondhand smoke exposure during pregnancy is linked to higher risks of stillbirth, miscarriage, preterm delivery, and impaired fetal growth.
The preconception period provides an important opportunity to quit smoking for both parents to avoid these risks and improve pregnancy and child health outcomes.