A critical review of reports on the effect of smoking on sex and fertility

Abstract

Abstract This review describes the accumulated clinical and experimental evidence and evaluates the methods used for investigations on the relationship of smoking and sexual behavior and fertility. Most of the observations on humans are based on clinical impressions or on population surveys over the smoking habits of fertile and non‐fertile individuals or of individuals with various sexual “difficulties”, Most current population studies draw their study samples from individuals who are self‐selected for sexual problems and not for smoking habits. Individual uses of stimulants or depressants (of which smoking may be only one simple instance) are not taken into consideration. Some reports imply that there is a difference in physical and/or psychological dimensions between smokers and non‐smokers although no dominant and consistent differences in physical or psychological traits emerges between the various groups studied. There is a reported decrease of testosterone level in smokers when compared to non‐smok...