Do the findings apply to humans?

A new scientific study suggests that smoking may affect fertility in both men and women. Researchers found that exposure to cigarette smoke may change the activity of certain genes and biological processes involved in reproduction.

Scientists from the University of Nottingham and the University of Sheffield in the UK studied male and female mice exposed to cigarette smoke.

They examined changes in the animals genes to better understand how smoking may affect the reproductive system.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) about one in six people worldwide experience infertility at some point in their lives.

Although previous research has linked smoking to reduced fertility, scientists are still working to understand exactly how it affects the reproductive system.

How was the study conducted?

The study, published in the scientific journal Frontiers, involved exposing mice to different levels of cigarette smoke extract over 12 weeks. The researchers examined how low and high levels of exposure affected gene activity.