What link is there between tobacco and sex?

Something of a cliché, the cigarette after a roll in the hay is a stock scene on screen. In real life, many people light one too, without necessarily knowing that a genuine link exists between the cigarette and what goes on under the covers.

Gentlemen, mind your virility

Australian researchers have established a genuine link between smoking and erection. Their study covered more than 8,000 male subjects, 2,000 of them smokers, and 10% reported erection problems. That is more marked among men who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day. As some packets state, the sperm quality of smokers is lower than that of non-smokers. Erectile disorders, likewise, are more frequent among smokers.

Women are no more spared

Beyond the fact that smoking is very dangerous for a pregnant woman, the cigarette can be a real obstacle to fertility. In other words, if you smoke and are struggling to conceive, try to cut down on your tobacco use. Take care too: periods can be thoroughly disrupted in women who smoke.

More tobacco and less love

Non-smokers are fairly reluctant to start a relationship with a smoker. Performance in bed is also affected by a cruel lack of breath, something that can bring a couple to nothing. Finally, it is worth knowing that the gap is twofold: couples who smoke make love less often than couples who do not. A survey of 300 couples gives a clear-cut result: smokers reported an average of 7 encounters a month, against 14 for non-smoking couples.

The link between sex and the cigarette is therefore not the most glamorous. It matters that smokers should know the risks they run by smoking regularly and in large quantities. Between performance in bed and tobacco, a choice has to be made.