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Heavy smoking cuts women's chance of pregnancy -- even with donated oocytes 

Heavy smoking may reduce female fertility by directly affecting the uterus – making it less receptive and reducing the chances the embryo will implant, according to research published on line (Thursday 9 November) in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction[1].

The finding, from a team of fertility experts in Portugal and Spain, comes as a result of comparing the pregnancy rates between non-heavy smokers[2] and heavy smokers, all of whom received donated oocytes.

Smoking has long been known to affect female fertility, but this study is believed to be the first to examine the impact of smoking in women who have received donated oocytes – the situation that allows the most objective assessment of the role of the uterus in the outcome of IVF.

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