The classic movie image of the post-sex cigarette makes it seem like smoking and sex are a natural fit. But smoking can wreak havoc on the reproductive system and on sexual health. If the threats of lung cancer, heart failure, and emphysema aren't enough to make you stuff the puff, check out what smoking can do to your sexual health.

For Her

Birth Control

Smoking and using combined hormonal contraception — the pill, the patch, the ring — can be risky. The older the woman is and the more she smokes, the greater the danger. In fact, women 35 and older who smoke are 10 times more likely to have a heart attack than those who don't smoke.  Younger women who smoke may use combined hormonal methods, but they need to be very clear with the prescribing health care provider that they smoke.

The Menstrual Cycle

Some evidence indicates that smoking can affect a woman's menstrual cycle. Women who smoke may be more likely to have painful and irregular periods, and menstrual pain seems to last longer for smokers. When women quit smoking, they experience less menstrual irregularity.

Cervical Cancer and Orgasm

Cigarette smoking increases the risk of cervical cancer, and surgery for cervical cancer may interfere with orgasm.

Future Fertility

Most teen girls don't want to get pregnant now. But girls who smoke when they're teenagers may be hurting their chances of getting pregnant in the future. Some of the substances found in cigarettes can harm the ovaries, and women who smoke or have smoked in the past may have trouble getting pregnant. In fact, for smokers, the chances of conceiving are decreased by 10 to 40 percent each menstrual cycle, and the longer a woman smokes, the longer it will take for her to get pregnant. Even light smoking can have an impact. (But don't count on smoking to be a reliable method of birth control!)

Pregnancy

Here's something else to keep in mind for the future: smoking during pregnancy puts both the woman and her fetus at risk for health problems. Not only does smoking increase the woman's risk for serious complications during pregnancy and childbirth, but smoking during pregnancy is the largest preventable cause of both fetal and infant health risks and death. A woman who smokes may be at increased risk for ectopic pregnancy — when a fertilized egg implants somewhere outside of the uterus, usually in one of the fallopian tubes. Surgery is often needed to remove the embryo and possibly the damaged fallopian tube.

Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage. And women who smoke are more likely to have low birth-weight babies, who are less healthy and have an increased risk of death. Stillbirth or the death of the newborn during the first four weeks of life is also more common among women who smoke while pregnant.

Research also suggests that secondhand smoke can damage the health of a woman and the fetus, so having a partner who smokes is a health risk.

For Him

Impotence

There is substantial evidence that links smoking with difficulty getting or maintaining an erection. Although impotence is less common in teen guys than in older men, studies show that smokers are at least 50 percent more likely to become impotent than non-smokers. The many toxins in cigarettes — especially carbon monoxide — can damage the circulatory system, making it difficult for blood to reach the penis, which is necessary for erection. Quitting smoking can reduce the risk for impotence.

Fertility

The toxins found in cigarettes can also affect the testes, where sperm is produced. Smoking affects both semen and sperm, reducing their quality and affecting sperm motility. Men who smoke also tend to have lower sperm counts than non-smokers and have more malformed sperm. This can make conception difficult and may also put a fetus at risk of developing from genetic material that has been damaged by smoking.

Improving Your Sexual Health

While some people quit smoking cold turkey, others have success with different routes: joining a program that helps people quit smoking, talking to a doctor or clinician about prescribing medication to reduce cravings, or trying nicotine-substitute chewing gum or patches. And some succeed with "alternative" methods such as hypnosis.

In the meantime,

  • Try saving the money you would have spent on cigarettes to buy something special.
  • Exercise to release endorphins and distract yourself from cigarette cravings.
  • Socialize with nonsmokers.
  • Snack on low-calorie vegetables to keep your hands and mouth active.
  • Keep a list of reasons you want to quit and look at it every day.
  • Enlist your family and friends to help you.
  • Practice deep breathing and relaxation.
  • Chew sugarless gum.
  • Drink cold water.

Although it can be a challenge, quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do to improve your sexual health.