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If you’re planning to have a baby this year, one of the best ways to improve your fertility is to quit smoking. It also helps if your partner quits.
The eggs of mums-to-be and the sperm of dads-to-be can be harmed by the toxins in tobacco smoke (such as cadmium and cotinine). Passive smoking also harms fertility.
The good news is, as soon as you and those around you are smoke-free, your fertility begins to improve.

Quit has a new online tool called Your Quit Plan. It’s a step-by-step approach to help you get ready to quit.
Your Quit Plan helps you to set a quit date and list your top reasons for quitting – including your plans to have a baby! You can also work out why you smoke: is it stress or just plain habit? Your Quit Plan suggests strategies to match your smoking such as: to break the habit, try changing your morning routine and have a shower first.
With Your Quit Plan, you can also take the addiction test to check how addicted you are to nicotine. Once you’ve worked out why you smoke, it’s much easier to choose a quitting method. Learn more about the best methods, such as patches or quitting medications. Read about QuitMail – our new tailored email support service – or QuitTxt, our SMS service. Your Quit Plan will create a checklist that you can email or print out and keep with you.

Set yourself up to start a family in 2018 and give your child the best start.

To chat more about quitting, call one of Quitline’s friendly Quit Specialists on 13 7848. Or you can request a Quitline callback. To help a loved-one quit, go to I’m helping others with quitting.

Thank you to Quit Victoria for contributing this article.

Smoking Fertility Quit Health Preconception