Patient's question:
I would like to learn more about sperm. If drinking alcohol once has no significant impact on sperm quality, then drinking two or three times a month, along with smoking one or two cigarettes daily, would that affect sperm quality? And what kind of effects would it have?Additionally: Isn’t it said that a zygote is formed by the best sperm and egg from both partners? Then shouldn’t external environmental factors not affect eugenics?
Also, isn’t it said that sperm have a lifespan of about three days after ejaculation? Then I’d like to ask: after sperm lose their fertilizing ability, where do they go?
Doctor's answer:
1. Drinking alcohol occasionally is not a big problem. However, if it reaches the level of alcoholism and cohabitation occurs after drinking, it indeed has adverse effects on the fetus. In such cases, if pregnancy occurs, it is best to avoid it. Because alcohol can damage germ cells (sperm and eggs), and children born from cohabitation after drinking are prone to intellectual disabilities or other abnormalities.2. Smoking one or two cigarettes a day is not much and should have a relatively small impact. However, it is best to smoke in a ventilated place like a balcony to reduce the effect on the woman, especially when she is pregnant. Do not smoke in front of her when she is pregnant. The smoke exhaled contains a large amount of toxic substances, and the harm of this secondhand smoke to non-smokers is no less than that to the smoker. Additionally, cigarettes contain radioactive substances. If you smoke 30 cigarettes a day, certain parts of the bronchi will be exposed to the equivalent of 300 chest X-rays annually. The amount of radioactive substances in secondhand smoke is still unknown, and the harm to the mother and child is also difficult to estimate.
3. It is generally believed that only strong and healthy sperm can combine with eggs. However, if you are an alcoholic or heavily addicted to smoking, most of the sperm will be unhealthy, and the resulting fertilized egg will not be in good condition.
4. External environments generally do not cause direct effects but may produce indirect effects. For example, mental stress, poor living conditions, and environmental pollution can lead to abnormalities in sperm or eggs, thereby affecting the health of future generations. Emotions can directly affect the function of the autonomic nervous system and endocrine system. Poor emotional state can lead to a series of physiological and biochemical parameter changes, and low spirits may trigger diseases.