The dangers of e-cigarettes for fertility, is it true that they cause impotence?

For some people, e-cigarettes (vape) are a substitute for cigarettes because they are considered safer. However, this is not necessarily true. While there are no long-term studies that can determine exactly what the dangers of e-cigarettes are, researchers suspect e-cigarettes damage the body in a slightly different way than regular tobacco cigarettes. Some of the effects of vaping can be harmful to male reproductive health.

What are the dangers of e-cigarettes for male fertility?

One of the advantages of e-cigarettes is that the steam produced is only in the form of water vapor, not pollution smoke from burning paper and tobacco leaves. But still, many health experts think that the vapors from e-cigarettes still contain nicotine, along with other chemical compounds such as formaldehyde, acrolein, propylene glycol, and glycerin. Although the amount of nicotine is indeed less than tobacco cigarettes, the water vapor is still carcinogenic and has the potential to cause damage to the human body.

The dangers of e-cigarettes have the potential to cause conception problems in couples. Studies on rats have shown that water vapor produced by vaping can reduce the reproductive ability of male rats. The effect of exposure to water vapor from e-cigarettes since the mice were in the womb caused male mice to have a lower number of sperm cells and had less difficulty fertilizing eggs to produce offspring.

Research results published at the British Fertility conference show that the fluids in e-cigarettes and e-cigarettes can damage men's reproductive health functions. One of the researchers, Dr. O'Neill, reported by the Daily Mail, states that the two most popular flavors of vape liquid are cinnamon (cinnamon) and chewing gum is actually harmful to the development of sperm cells.

Researchers compared sperm samples from 30 men and compared sperm cell activity based on fluid taste and e-cigarette use habits. Sperm cells from individuals who used the cinnamon flavoring with higher concentrations tended to swim more slowly than those with the lower concentrations of flavorings. Meanwhile, the chewing gum-flavored liquid has a worse effect because it affects the testicular tissue and causes the premature death of large numbers of sperm cells. He also added that the basic ingredients of the two flavored liquids are dangerous to health when they are heated and the chemical structure changes so that the water vapor produced by vape is toxic.

Some of the food flavorings in other vape fluids are listed as ingredients that should be consumed but will have a harmful effect when inhaled. In addition to flavorings, there are at least nine harmful toxins in e-cigarette flavored liquids which are classified as chemicals that can cause reproductive health problems and trigger cancer.

Tobacco cigarettes and e-cigarettes: which is more dangerous for male reproductive health?

In general, the dangers of e-cigarettes to male reproductive health are not much different from smoking tobacco. Both can lower a person's chances of having offspring. Both smoking tobacco and smoking e-cigarettes contain nicotine which can be broken down into cotinins. Lab studies have shown cotinine can cause sperm cells to move more slowly, while nicotine has been shown to reduce sperm count and decrease the ability to fertilize an egg.

Conception problems that arise from e-cigarettes not only affect the quality of sperm cells but, just like smoking, e-cigarette water vapor can also cause impotence. Research by Susan Hodgekin, a statistician at the Maryland Institute, shows a correlation between e-cigarette use and the incidence of erectile dysfunction. Reported by the National Report, Hodgekin stated that the data he had showed that 99% of cases of erectile dysfunction in men aged 20-40 years occurred after they had the habit of smoking vapes. He argues that moisture from e-cigarettes is a source of health problems in the male reproductive organs and advises against inhaling smoke from e-cigarettes. However, further research is still needed on the pathological effects of erectile dysfunction as a danger of e-cigarettes.