Sperm Count 50% Lower in Men Whose Fathers Smoke

London: While studies have repeatedly linked maternal smoking during pregnancy with reduced sperm count in male children, a new research showed that men whose fathers smoked at the time of pregnancy also had 50 percent lower count of sperms than those with non-smoking fathers. The findings showed that, independently of nicotine exposure from the mother, socioeconomic factors, and their own smoking, men with fathers who smoked had a 41 percent lower sperm concentration and 51 percent fewer sperm count than those with non-smoking fathers.

“We know there is a link between sperm count and chances of pregnancy, so that could affect the possibility for these men to have children in the future. “The father’s smoking is also linked to a shorter reproductive lifespan in daughters, so the notion that everything depends on whether the mother smokes or not doesn’t seem convincing,” the research stated.

However, the research has not determined the underlying mechanisms behind this. But, similar studies have shown links between smoking fathers and various health outcomes in children, such as malformations, Axelsson noted. (IANS)