After in vitro fertilization, the eggs of smokers divide more slowly than the cells of non-smoking women, reports BBC Health, citing the results of a study carried out in France.
Embryoscopic documentation of the development of the embryo from the fertilization of the egg to the point when the embryo was ready for implantation showed that at all stages, embryos obtained from the eggs taken from smokers developed on average two hours slower than in women who did not smoke cigarettes.
In laboratory conditions, 868 zygotes resulting from in vitro fertilization were monitored, 139 of which came from smokers. Time-lapse video made with the use of an embryoscope allowed scientists to see the differences in the rate of development that are difficult to notice.
According to the author of the study, Dr. Thomas Freour from the infertility treatment clinic at the University Hospital of Nantes, the stage at which eight cells from a nonsmoking woman were formed four hours later in the case of smokers’ cells (division took place 58 and 62 hours after the merger, respectively). gametes). The time difference persisted in both the earlier and later stages, averaging two hours.
Dr. Freour emphasizes that these studies do not answer the question of whether the slower development of the embryo may affect the chances of the success of in vitro fertilization and the subsequent development of the child.
As you know, smoking is a factor that reduces your chances of becoming pregnant. Therefore, some fertility clinics require couples who wish to undergo treatment to start by quitting smoking.
The results of the research were presented at the congress of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) in Turkey (PAP).
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