Heavy Drinking, Smoking Won't Harm Men's Sperm

But the data should not give would-be dads the green light to pursue unhealthy lifestyles, experts say

June 13, 2012 RSS Feed Print

variety of beers

"The study did not find that cigarette smoking was a culprit, yet did not examine the effect of passive smoking on the female partner's fertility," Hershlag noted. And, he said, "while it is reassuring to know that sperm is resilient, I still recommend a healthy lifestyle to improve your chances to conceive."

He also noted that, as regards the finding on race, "this study was done in the UK, and therefore may not apply to African-American men."

More information

The American Urological Association has more about male infertility.