Fertility Referral - R.E Smoking

[Fluffy_penguin]

Hi all, looking for some advice please!

Basically we’ve been trying for 18 months, GP saying we can be referred in 3 months to fertility clinic however we both can’t be smoking and they said both partners have to have not been smoking for up to 6 months prior to referral. However, this will not be the case for us in 3 months and we’re trying to figure out how they would know if we had still been smoking? Thank you in advance!

[Florencenightingale]

Hi, I'm not a smoker so cant answer properly, but I'm assuming they wont know. Also, if you are having NHS funding then it might be that by the time you are ready for treatment then it might well be 6 month since you stopped.xx

[Fluffy_penguin in reply to Florencenightingale]

Thank you, a good point regarding waiting times!

[KiboXX]

Hi fluffy_penguin,

I’m not sure as I quit at the start of our TTC journey but if they know you’re a smoker and you’re being referred for NHS funding, I would expect they do a carbon monoxide test. It’s a thing that you breath into. Midwives use them as well x

[Fluffy_penguin in reply to KiboXX]

Ah okay, thank you! I’ll look into this x

[Luckyinlove]

Hey hun! So my partner smoked and I did socially before starting our IVF journey. The clinic will do a carbon monoxide test on you both (I think you get this regardless, even if you state your a non smoker) but they say no smoking 3 months before being accepted... at least that was our situation. Maybe its different in Scotland than England? Anyhoo, CM test checks for smoking within the last 3 months. Hope this helps babe, best of luck xx

[Fluffy_penguin]

Right okay, this is very helpful thank you! As I understand it, each district differs with their pre-referral checklists and I’m struggling to find any info on it without full on admitting we are still smoking at this time. I obviously don’t want to jeopardise our chances when we’re so close to a referral! We are taking steps now to quit which as I’m sure you are aware is very difficult but it goes without saying that I am very willing to make this sacrifice. However it’s a battle trying to get my husband to see how important it is to quit in order to not prolong our situation!! Thank you for the good luck wish, you’re very kind ☺️ Xx

[CAS2]

They do a carbon monoxide test hon. As hard as it is you both need to give up as smoking has big consequences for fertility. My OH smoked and it really affected his sperm quality massively. He gave up and it improved loads.

IVF is really hard and you want to do all you can to improve your chances. My other half used Champix to quit. It was tough for him though.

Good luck xx

[JoP32]

Hi Fluffy. As others have said, you’ll Probably have to do a carbon monoxide test but as long as you've not been smoking for a few weeks this should be fine. I used to smoke and had this test by the midwife at an ante natal appointment during my first pregnancy when I was 8 weeks - I’d stopped smoking 4 weeks previously when I found out I was pregnant - and the result came back as low as a non smoker.

So, if you quit now & your appointment is in 3 months you’ll easily pass the test

Saying that, I’ve never had a carbon monoxide test for any of my ivf rounds (am on no.3 atm), they just asked if we were non smokers, we said we were (we were by this time) and they took our word for it. However they’ve all been private cycles so if might be different if it’s NHS?

Good luck with quitting to you both! It’s not easy, especially during this stressful time! Xx