How does smoking affect sexual function?

Smoking is a widespread phenomenon, and the health risks of smoking to humans have been established, but the impact of smoking on sexual function, especially the ability to cause impotence has not yet attracted attention. The mechanism of sexual dysfunction caused by smoking is not clear, according to analysis, the nicotine in tobacco in the human body can directly stimulate the sympathetic ganglion (alpha-adrenergic effect) and indirectly stimulate the adrenal medulla to release adrenaline, so that the small arteries constrict, which can reduce the arterial blood flow during penile erection. Atherosclerosis caused by long-term smoking also affects penile arterial blood flow, such as a decrease in penile arterial blood flow after smoke inhalation in adult male dogs, and the increase in arterial blood flow and cavernous pressure during stimulation of the penile cavernous nerve is lower than before smoke inhalation, which does not induce full penile erection. The effect of smoking on penile venous return was observed by clamping the abdominal aorta of the animals and perfusing the penile corpus cavernosum with saline; there was no change in the low-velocity perfusion pressure of the penile corpus cavernosum before smoking, but it quickly decreased to baseline; smoking not only reduced the blood flow of the penile artery, but more importantly, destroyed the venous flow limiting mechanism during erection; smokers had a significant effect on sperm production, maturation, and malformation; the longer the smoking time, the more malformed The longer you smoke, the more deformed sperm, and the number of normal sperm is decreasing, and sperm motility is also weakened, which is undoubtedly also detrimental to fertility. Therefore, quitting smoking not only helps to restore sexual function, but also helps fertility.