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Cited by 53Sperm and Testicular FunctionSmoking Behavior and CessationMale Reproductive Health Studies

Semen quality and cigarette smoking in a cohort of healthy fertile men

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Tang, Qiuqin, Pan, Feng, Wu, Xian, Nichols, Cody E., Wang, Xinru, Xia, Yankai, London, Stephanie J., Wu, Wei·2019·Environmental Epidemiology
DOI 10.1097/ee9.0000000000000055PMC PMC6693933
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Abstract

Background: Numerous health effects of smoking are well-known; associations with semen quality are uncertain. Most previous studies did not adjust for potential confounders and had limited information on age at smoking initiation or smoking cessation. Methods: We investigated 1,631 healthy fertile men in the Nanjing Medical University Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment (NMU-LIFE) study. Relationships were examined using multivariable linear regression controlling for potential covariates. Results: We found a significant decrease in semen volume ( β = −0.10, P = 0.001) and total sperm count ( β = −0.42, P = 0.037), and significant increase in total motility ( β = 6.02, P = 0.037) and progressive motility ( β = 5.52, P = 0.037) in ever smokers of pack-years ≥10 compared with never smokers. We observed an inverse dose-dependent relation between smoking pack-years and semen volume ( P < 0.001) and total sperm count ( P = 0.010) and a positive dose-dependent relation between smoking pack-years and both total motility and progressive motility ( P = 0.042 and 0.048, respectively). No significant differences in semen quality were detected among ever smokers with different ages at smoking initiation nor in former smokers compared with never smokers. Conclusions: Cigarette smoking was associated with lower semen volume and total sperm count and higher sperm motility. Smoking cessation might have a restorative effect on semen quality. This finding has important implications for public health research and for understanding the development of abnormal semen quality.

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  • There is a significant gap in the literature regarding the potential reversibility of smoking's effects on male fertility following smoking cessation.

    “Despite the well-documented adverse impact of smoking on male fertility, there remains a significant gap in the literature regarding the potential reversibility of these effects following smoking cessation.”

    From Evaluating the effect of smoking and its cessation on semen parameters (2025) · cites this paper as Tang et al. 2019

    The Introduction identifies a gap in evidence on whether smoking-related differences in semen quality persist after cessation, particularly among fertile men. But the broader claim about a continuing gap concerning reversibility of effects on male fertility goes beyond that scope: the Discussion reports two earlier cessation studies showing improved semen quality and presents this study’s own findings on former smokers. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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Authors
Tang, Q., Pan, F., Wu, X., Nichols, C. E., Wang, X., Xia, Y., London, S. J., & Wu, W.
Affiliations
  • Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital (CN)
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (US)
  • State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine (CN)
Corresponding author
Wu, Wei
ORCID
Venue
Environmental Epidemiology
Publisher
Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Published
2019-06-25
Volume
3
Issue
4
Pages
e055
ISSN
2474-7882 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1097/ee9.0000000000000055
PMC
PMC6693933
OpenAlex
W2953899153
Cited by
53
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 1
FWCI
3.34
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Environmental Epidemiology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (81673217)
  • Nanjing Medical University (NMUAMT201805)
  • Jiangsu Provincial Medical Youth Talent (QNRC2016110)
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (Z01ES049019)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Sperm and Testicular Function
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Smoking Behavior and Cessation
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Male Reproductive Health Studies
Keywords
cigarette smoking, semen quality, sperm count, semen volume, sperm motility, pack-years, smoking initiation age, smoking cessation, male fertility, dose-response relationship

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