Give up vaping if you want children, women told: Alarming study suggests e-cigs may damage fertility

Vaping can unknowingly damage women’s fertility, according to alarming research.

Experts found that female e-cigarette users have consistently lower levels of anti-mullerian hormone (AMH).

AMH roughly indicates the amount of eggs a woman has, which acts as a sign of fertility.

Scientists today urged women who vape to quit the habit altogether to avoid ‘hindering’ their chances of getting pregnant.

Dr. Helen O’Neill, lecturer in reproductive and molecular genetics at University College London, said: ‘This is the first piece of evidence showing a link between fertility and vaping in a large population.

‘It shows that AMH is suppressed in vapers compared to non-vapers, in a similar way to what has already been shown in smokers.’

Vaping during pregnancy is only recommended by the NHS as an alternative to smoking, which is considered more dangerous to an unborn child.

However, the healthcare industry recognizes that the risks of vaping during pregnancy are still unknown and that it is better for expectant mothers to stop altogether if possible.

Some studies have warned of an increased risk of miscarriage.

But the risks of vaping to fertility are even less understood.

The new study, not published in a medical journal, analyzed blood samples from more than 8,000 women.

No other details of the study, first reported by The timeswere shared.

Figures released last week also show that vaping use among women aged 18 to 45 has more than tripled in a decade.

One in five (19.7 percent) used e-cigarettes in 2023, up from 5.1 percent in 2013.

Hertility, a women’s reproductive health clinic, found that 22 percent of women actively trying to conceive vape regularly or occasionally.

More than one in four (27 percent) who hope to have children in the future also said they use e-cigarettes, according to the survey.

Dr. O’Neill, CEO of Hertility, said women planning to become pregnant should be given clear guidance on ‘no drinking, no vaping, no smoking, no drugs’.

However, evidence suggests that AMH levels are a poor predictor of current and future fertility in women, as the test does not provide an indication of egg quality or the rate at which egg numbers are declining.

An Australian study published last year in the journal JAMA Network Open said AMH tests, which are widely available online, are unlikely to be useful for individual women because of the wide age range they cover.

E-cigarettes allow people to inhale nicotine in a vapor, which is produced by heating a liquid.

YOULike traditional cigarettes, they do not contain tobacco or produce tar or carbon – two of the most dangerous elements and part of the reason why they are considered a safer alternative.

Rising usage rates among children have fueled fears that younger generations are sleepwalking into a public health crisis.

Data shows that one in five children have tried vaping, while the number of young people using the devices has tripled in the past three years.

This is despite the fact that it is illegal for under 18s to sell a vape.

Earlier this month, MailOnline also revealed that the number of adverse side effects linked to vaping reported to UK regulators has now surpassed 1,000, five of which were fatal.

All five deaths were related to respiratory and cardiovascular health problems.

Some reported digestive problems such as diarrhea or flatulence, and even one case of rectal bleeding, linked to their vape use.

One woman, or her doctor, also reported having a miscarriage while using a vape.