By IANS
New York : Smoking may cause harm to girls and reduce their future fertility if their mothers smoke before, during, and even after pregnancy, Canadian scientists have claimed.
Researchers at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute of the Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto investigated the impact of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), a by-product of smoking, on the fertility of mice.
They found that the female mice whose mothers were exposed to tobacco smoke had about two-thirds fewer ovarian follicles — the basic unit of the female reproductive system.
Each ovarian follicle contains a single egg, so fewer follicles means fewer eggs, reported the online edition of health Magazine WebMD.
“We want to raise concerns. We don’t want to spook anybody. But this research does suggest that a woman who smokes may be affecting her future offspring’s fertility without knowing it,” lead researcher Andrea Jurisicova said.
Previous studies have shown that maternal smoking is linked to a wide range of pregnancy complications, including low birth weight, placental problems, and premature delivery.