Smoking Damages Men's Sperm and Also the Numbers of Germ and Somatic Cells in Developing Embryos
Date: 15.9.2010
In the study, researchers found that a mother's smoking during early pregnancy dramatically reduces the numbers of germ cells (the cells that form eggs in females and sperm in males) and somatic cells (the cells that form every other part of the body) in the developing foetus. They believe that this may have an adverse effect on the fertility of the baby in later life.
They found that the number of germ cells was more than halved (reduced by 55%) in the testes of embryos from mothers who smoked compared with those from the non-smoking mothers. The number of somatic cells was also reduced by more than a third (37%).
The first trimester is the crucial time when the sexual organs in the developing embryo are differentiating to form either testes or ovaries.
Source:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100907210829.htm
Original paper:
L.S. Mamsen, M.C. Lutterodt, E.W. Andersen, S.O. Skouby, K.P. Sørensen, C. Yding Andersen, and A.G. Byskov. Cigarette smoking during early pregnancy reduces the number of embryonic germ and somatic cells. Human Reproduction, 2010
