Published : 21 Oct 2026, 06:59 PM
Updated : 21 Oct 2026, 06:58 PM
Scientists have identified a series of genetic changes triggered by cigarette smoke exposure that could help explain how smoking harms fertility in both men and women, The Independent reports.
Researchers at the Universities of Nottingham and Sheffield exposed male and female mice to cigarette smoke extract at varying doses over 12 weeks, examining the structure of their reproductive organs and the activity of genes within them. The findings were published in the journal Frontiers.
In female mice, the physical structure of ovarian follicles -- the structures in which eggs develop -- showed little change even at higher exposure levels. However, researchers detected gene activity shifts resembling those seen in ovarian ageing and reduced ovarian function.
In males, higher smoke exposure was linked to structural changes in the testes, including enlargement of the seminiferous tubules, where sperm are produced. Gene activity associated with sperm production, immune responses, and cell signalling was also disrupted, with some genes becoming more active and others less so.
“These findings are important because they help us understand how exposure to cigarette smoke could affect reproductive health,” Prof Lucy Fairclough of the University of Nottingham, a co-author of the study, is quoted as saying by The Independent.
She added that further research would be needed to establish how the biological changes translate to human fertility.
The study adds to a body of existing evidence linking smoking to abnormal sperm shape, poor motility, lower sperm counts, and DNA damage, as well as to fertility problems in the children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy.
The World Health Organization estimates that roughly one in six people globally experience infertility at some point in their lives.