Smoking Decreases Endometrial Thickness in IVF/ICSI Patients.

Introduction: Smoking is a serious problem for the health care system. Many of the compounds identified in cigarette smoke have toxic effects on the fertility of both females and males. The purpose of this study was to determine whether smoking affects clinical factors during IVF/ICSI therapy in a single-center reproductive unit.

Material and Methods: In a retrospective study of 200 IVF/ICSI cycles, endometrial thickness and the outcome of IVF/ICSI therapy were analyzed.

Results: Endometrial thickness was significantly lower in smoking patients than in non-smoking patients (10.4 ± 1.5 mm vs. 11.6 ± 1.8 mm). Age was significantly higher in women who failed to conceive. The total dose of gonadotropins administered was significantly lower in pregnant patients and the highest pregnancy rate was achieved with an rFSH protocol. BMI and number of cigarettes smoked did not influence treatment outcomes in this study.

Conclusion: We showed that smoking has a negative effect on endometrial thickness on the day of embryo transfer. This may help to further explain the detrimental influence of tobacco smoke on implantation and pregnancy rates during assisted reproduction therapy.