Facing the challenges of reproductive issues is a difficult situation for any couple. Tests and treatments can be expensive and downright unpleasant. Sometimes, for some couples, there is no one cause of infertility that the doctors can pinpoint and then subsequently correct. This can be frustrating and downright disheartening. But for most, there is something that shows up on a test result that can then be treated properly. It may be a low sperm count or poor sperm motility for the man, or a lack of ovulation or damaged uterus for the woman. There may actually not even be a cause of infertility at all, if the couple are not engaging in regular (twice per week on average) unprotected sexual activity over the course of many months or even a year; some couples are under the mistaken belief that you get pregnant every time you have unprotected sex, and are just assuming that after a few times of trying, then there is obviously a medical problem.

But for many, there is something that is going on, either with their reproductive systems or with some other cause of infertility that perhaps they are bringing upon themselves. Of course, no one likes to hear that they will need to make some changes or that some choices they've made in their own lives has been a long-standing cause of infertility for themselves, but really, this is something that should be empowering. If you yourself are bringing your reproductive issues into your life with a few bad habits, then you can change those habits and eventually realize your dream of having a baby ' and possibly without drugs, medicines, medical intervention, surgery, and the like.

So then, what is the biggest and most common cause of infertility that most people just don't want to hear about? In a word, it's smoking.

Smoking is one of the most damaging habits you can have overall, when talking about any healthy problem whatsoever. There are over 4,000 chemicals that are produced when a cigarette is burned; over 250 of these are toxic and more than 50 are known carcinogens.

One of the reasons that smoking is a cause of infertility is because these toxins and carcinogens enter the bloodstream and are then transported to every area of the human body, every single cell, and this means the reproductive system as well. These toxins can interfere with a man's sperm count, cause his remaining sperm to be malformed, give him low sperm motility, and even decrease his circulation enough to cause impotence. For a woman, smoking interferes with the fallopian tube's natural abilities to drop an egg or ovulate, can damage the eggs she has, and can also damage the uterus, making it impossible for that fertilized egg to attach itself.

This is just a partial list of why we can rightly say that smoking is a leading cause of infertility. Again, no one wants to hear that perhaps they need to make a change in their habits, but if it means finally being able to conceive that child that you dream of, doesn't it make it all worthwhile?