Avoid smoking
If you smoke, you should try to give up before trying to conceive. A vice like smoking decreases your chances of a successful pregnancy. Infertility affects many women, and smoking may cause up to 13% of this. Smoking can also delay conception. Studies show that women who smoke have an up to 54% higher chance that conception with taking a year or longer compared with non-smokers. The more cigarettes smoked, the more chemicals enter the body, reducing estrogen levels and increasing follicular depletion. Smoking and pregnancy don’t mix. Smoke exposure also contributes to higher rates of miscarriage and increased miscarriages and birth defects.
There is often no easy answer to quitting smoking, but it is indeed better to start trying before conception than when you are already pregnant. Ask your physician about any local smoking cessation programs and what type of aids you could use to quit. If you want to try and go cold turkey, you should avoid being with people who might tempt you to smoke, try to keep your hands occupied and had a friend on standby who you can call to encourage you when you feel like taking a puff.
