E-cigarettes can lower fertility in women: study
| Sep 7, 2019, 13:46 IST
According to a group of researchers, e-cigarette usage can impair fertility and pregnancy outcomes in young women.
This may be unknown to many women and pregnant women who have been using e-cigarettes as a safer alternative to smoking, but little is known about its effects on fertility and pregnancy outcomes
“We found that e-cigarette usage before conception significantly delayed implantation of a fertilized embryo to the uterus, thus delaying and reducing fertility (in mice),” said study author Kathleen Caron from the University of North Carolina.
“We also discovered that e-cigarette usage throughout pregnancy changed the long-term health and metabolism of female offspring – imparting lifelong, second-generation effects on the growing foetus,” Caron added.
The study was published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society, the researchers used a mouse model to examine whether e-cigarette exposure impairs fertility and offspring health.
After exposure to e-cigarette vapour, female mice showed decreased embryo implantation and a significant delay in the onset of pregnancy.
Female offspring exposed to e-cigarettes in utero also failed to gain as much weight as those of control mice.
“These findings are important because they change our views on the perceived safety of e-cigarettes as alternatives to traditional cigarettes before and during pregnancy,” Caron added.
E-cigarettes are driving increases in tobacco product use among youth, researchers noted.
This may be unknown to many women and pregnant women who have been using e-cigarettes as a safer alternative to smoking, but little is known about its effects on fertility and pregnancy outcomes
“We found that e-cigarette usage before conception significantly delayed implantation of a fertilized embryo to the uterus, thus delaying and reducing fertility (in mice),” said study author Kathleen Caron from the University of North Carolina.
The study was published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society, the researchers used a mouse model to examine whether e-cigarette exposure impairs fertility and offspring health.
After exposure to e-cigarette vapour, female mice showed decreased embryo implantation and a significant delay in the onset of pregnancy.
“These findings are important because they change our views on the perceived safety of e-cigarettes as alternatives to traditional cigarettes before and during pregnancy,” Caron added.
E-cigarettes are driving increases in tobacco product use among youth, researchers noted.