Chemicals and future fertility

We're all exposed to more and more chemicals in our everyday lives, found in everything from packaging to pesticides, and there's growing interest in how, or whether, these can affect our fertility.

Now, a team at Nottingham University have been given a grant to study the effects of some of these toxins on female mammal reproduction. They'll be focusing on how potential problems may pass from mother to foetus by studying sheep. It is thought that exposure to these products may not damage the fertility of the woman herself, but could instead have an impact on a foetus growing in her womb. If this proves to be the case, we may be storing up fertility problems for future generations.

There's so much discussion about chemicals and fertility, that it will be fascinating to see what the team in Nottingham uncover. You can read more about the project at www.nottingham.ac.uk

Giving up smoking

When we first started trying to have children, I smoked - a lot. I always knew I'd give up if I got pregnant, but as getting there took longer and longer, it was harder to find the motivation. Occasionally a nurse or doctor would ask whether I smoked, but no one seemed particularly bothered about it. When we started our first IVF attempt, the consultant suggested I should stop, and I did. Until we found out it hadn't worked, when the first thing I did was to dash out for a packet of cigarettes.

I did finally stop, and our treatment did eventually work, but in retrospect I wish I'd been made more aware of the effect smoking can have on fertility. Research suggests that female smokers are twice as likely as non-smokers to have fertility problems, and that they also tend to reach the menopause earlier. In fact, one study concluded that smoking can shorten a woman's reproductive life by ten years. Even passive smoking is thought to make a difference, and living with a smoker can mean it will take a woman longer to get pregnant.

The good news for smokers is that the damage seems to be reversible. If you give up, your chances of conceiving are back to normal after just a year. It's not always the easiest time to quit, and adding the pangs of nicotine withdrawal to the emotional turmoil of infertility and treatment is tough - but giving up smoking really can make all the difference to a successful outcome.