World No Tobacco Day 2025: How Smoking Lowers Sperm Count; Know From Doctor

World No Tobacco Day falls on May 31, serves as a powerful reminder of the countless health risks associated with tobacco use, many of which go beyond what’s commonly known. While the connection between smoking and lung disease or heart problems is well-established, fewer people are aware of its silent yet significant impact on male fertility. Emerging medical research and clinical observations now confirm that smoking can dramatically reduce sperm count and quality, affecting a man’s ability to conceive.

Tobacco use, especially smoking, damages sperm production and overall reproductive health. From increased oxidative stress to DNA fragmentation in sperm cells, smoking triggers a cascade of harmful effects within the male reproductive system. In conversation with The Jgaran Daily, Dr. Shraddha Tripathi Bichpuria, Fertility Specialist, Birla Fertility & IVF, Siliguri, explains how smoking lowers sperm count in male.

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A PMC study showed that men who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day experience a 19% reduction in sperm concentration. Even those who smoke fewer than 10 a day are at risk, with 23 per cent lower sperm count than non-smokers. But sperm count is only the beginning.
Sperm motility, how well they swim, is also significantly impaired by tobacco use. And structure matters too: smoking increases the percentage of abnormally shaped sperm, reducing their ability to fertilise an egg. So even if the numbers look ‘normal,’ their function might not be.

Tobacco Smoke Lowers Sperm Count (Image Credits: Canva)

Then there’s the DNA. Tobacco smoke creates oxidative stress, damaging the genetic material inside sperm. Another PMC study revealed higher DNA fragmentation in smokers, a marker associated with reduced IVF success, poor embryo quality, and even longer-term hazards to the child's health.

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Tobacco smoking interferes with reproductive hormone equilibrium, altering testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), all important for sperm production and development. Dr. Shraddha Tripathi Bichpuria, states, “Smoking constricts blood vessels and thereby impairs circulation, enhancing the potential for erectile dysfunction, which ultimately diminishes the capacity to conceive. Smoking also diminishes seminal zinc, an essential nutrient for sperm stability and activity.”

And the damage doesn’t end with the smoker. Boys exposed to cigarette smoke in the womb due to maternal smoking have been shown to have 20–48 per cent lower sperm density as adults. That’s the reach of tobacco: across generations.

Sperm regenerate every 74 days. Quitting smoking can lead to significant improvements in sperm quality, motility, and DNA integrity - sometimes in as little as three months.
When you’re trying to conceive, every choice counts. And when it comes to sperm health, every bit of tobacco usage does too.