Does Vaping Cause Infertility? Vapes and Your Fertility

Vaping has gone from a niche subculture to a global phenomenon. In 2019, 35 million people worldwide used e-cigarettes. In 2025, that number jumped up to over 100 million. 

And vaping isn’t just inhaling water vapor. While e-cigarettes have been marketed as a safer alternative to cigarettes, that’s not entirely true. E-cigarettes contain nicotine and other harmful metals and chemicals, which have been linked to cancer, lung damage, and heart issues.

If you’re planning on starting a family — or even just want the option down the line — can the chemicals in e-cigarettes cause infertility, too? 

While the research out there is significantly newer than the decades of data we have on traditional cigarettes, the early findings suggest that the “safer” alternative might not be so safe in this regard after all. 

The short answer: Yes, vaping can affect fertility (both of you)

Emerging research shows vaping negatively impacts fertility in both men and women. And while we have less data than we do for cigarettes, what we know so far is concerning — even for nicotine-free vapes. 

Indeed, just because vaping is seen as "less harmful than cigarettes,” that doesn’t mean it’s harmless for fertility. Here’s how e-cigarettes affect sperm, eggs, implantation, and pregnancy outcomes. 

What's actually in your vape? (Spoiler: it's not just flavored air)

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of how vaping affects fertility, it’s helpful to understand what’s actually in your vape. Here’s a breakdown of the cocktail of chemicals in e-liquids. (It’s worth noting that composition varies wildly between brands, and even nicotine-free vapes contain many of these chemicals.) 

Nicotine

Nicotine is a highly addictive chemical compound found in tobacco plants, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Nicotine triggers the release of dopamine, known as the “feel-good hormone,” which is what makes you want to keep using it. Nicotine can cause damage to the cells in your arteries and may contribute to heart disease, according to a 2022 research article in Health Communication. 

Propylene glycol and Vegetable glycerin

These two ingredients are the primary vehicles of nicotine and flavorings in vapes, according to the American Lung Association (ALA), and are dangerous when inhaled. When heated, like in an e-cigarette, they break down into formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, which are carcinogens, capable of causing cancer. Not only that, but they can also cause inflammation and other damage to your lungs, which can turn into a chronic respiratory disease over time. 

Flavoring chemicals 

There are many chemicals used to create e-cig flavorings like strawberry, mango, cotton candy, and more, which can be detrimental to your health. Acetoin is one that can break down into diacetyl, which has been linked to a condition that damages the small airways in your lungs and causes wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath, according to the ALA. 

However, acetoin is less prevalent in e-cigs than a chemical called acetyl propionyl, which is often used as a diacetyl substitute, per the ALA. Acetylpropionyl can lead to similar health issues as acetoin and diacetyl. 

Heavy metals

The heating coils in e-cigarettes are made from lead, chromium, and nickel, according to the ALA. When you inhale from an e-cig, these metal particles can enter the aerosol (vapor) and, therefore, your body, and damage your organs. 

Prolonged exposure to heavy metals can increase your odds of cancer and mess with your kidney function, according to the ALA. Lead, specifically, can cause neurological disorders. 

Does vaping cause infertility in males?

Yes, research shows concerning effects on male fertility. Here’s how. 

How vaping affects sperm

According to a 2023 research article in Life, vaping impairs sperm quality. Specifically, e-cigarettes can lead to:

• Lower sperm density and a reduction in the total number of sperm.

• A reduction in the number of live, functional sperm.

• An increase in sperm with physical defects, such as looped tails, bent tails, or an absence of tails. 
  

Even exposing sperm to nicotine-free flavored e-cigarettes shows a decrease in sperm motility, according to the article. 

And while animal studies don’t always lead to the same results in humans due to species differences, a small 2025 study in the Journal of Basic Medical Veterinary that looked at 20 albino rats observed inflammation of the testes, reduced sperm count and viability, and structural disorganization of the seminiferous tubules after e-cigarette exposure.

It’s worth noting that new sperm takes about 42 to 76 days to mature, so the effects aren't immediate, but they also aren't permanent. 

The (slightly) good news

There is a bit of a silver lining here. According to a 2025 research article in Scientific Reports, vaping appears to be less detrimental to sperm motility than smoking cigarettes. 

The article also suggests that vaping proves to be less harmful than cigarettes when it comes to IVF.  Couples where the male partner vaped had a live birth rate of nearly 56 percent, compared to only 41 percent for those where the male partner smoked cigarettes. (It’s worth noting there was no comparison to non-smokers in this research.) 

These results don’t mean smoking e-cigarettes is completely safe—it’s just potentially less harmful than smoking traditional cigarettes. 

Does vaping cause infertility in females?

The short answer is: yes. While research is still in earlier stages, it’s already showing red flags about infertility in females for a few reasons. 

How vaping affects eggs and ovarian function

While the Life research article draws primarily from animal studies due to a current lack of human data, the findings are still notable. For instance, e-cigarettes negatively affect the ovaries of rats:

• There was an observed decrease in the percentage of healthy follicles in the ovaries rats exposed to e-cigarettes 

• There was reduced estrogen secretion in rats exposed to e-cigarettes. (Estrogen is key for regulating the menstrual cycle and supporting fertility.) 

However, preliminary data from a 2024 study of over 21,000 women in Authorea suggests vaping reduces Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) levels, a marker for the quantity of remaining eggs a woman has. This research looked at women ages 21 to 45 with no pre-existing reproductive health conditions and who weren’t on any form of birth control. The age groups with the most significant drop in AMH levels were vapers ages 36 to 40 and smokers ages 31 to 35. 

The implantation problem

Prior to conception, vaping may delay the implantation of a fertilized embryo to the uterus, which can reduce or delay fertility, according to a 2019 mouse study in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. 

In the study, some mice were exposed to e-cigarette aerosol (with no flavorings) and some were exposed to normal room air. To test fertility, female mice were mated and exposed to either aerosol or normal air five days a week for four months. To test implantation, female mice were exposed to aerosol five days a week for one month before mating. 

The results? Mice exposed to e-cigarettes had a delay in embryo attachment, which decreased offspring number per litter, while the mice exposed to room air didn’t. This is particularly concerning for couples doing IVF, as the timing of embryo attachment — is a critical factor in determining whether a cycle results in a successful pregnancy. 

Vaping vs. smoking: Is one ‘better’ for fertility?

While vaping appears to be less dangerous than cigarettes, vaping still isn’t “safe,” as both are harmful compared to not using nicotine products at all. For instance, the research in Scientific Reports suggests vapers had better sperm motility and lower miscarriage rates than smokers. 

Although toxins were measured at much lower levels in e-cigarette aerosols compared to smoke from a conventional cigarette, there are still concerns about their potential impact on male and female reproduction, so vaping isn’t a fertility-friendly quit-smoking method.

How long after quitting vaping does fertility improve?

Good news: The fertility damage from smoking isn't necessarily permanent. When infertile men quit smoking cigarettes, they produced more semen with higher sperm counts and concentration just three months later, according to a small 2022 study in the International Journal of Impotence Research. So, it stands to reason that people who vape can quit about three months before trying to conceive as well. 

For women, the timeline is less clear. However, according to a 2024 research article in Preventive Medicine, women who quit vaping before pregnancy “showed no differences in the likelihood of having a high risk birth compared to non-users.” So, the sooner you quit, the better for eggs, hormones, and uterine environment. 

"But my vape doesn't have nicotine..."

While most vapes do usually contain nicotine, especially popular brands like JUUL and Geekvape, nicotine-free vapes still contain problematic chemicals — flavorings, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, heavy metals—that can affect fertility. 

Nicotine is certainly a problem, but it’s not the only problem, and switching to nicotine-free vapes won't eliminate fertility concerns completely. 

What we still don't know (and why that's concerning)

Vaping is relatively new compared to smoking cigarettes, so long-term studies on how it affects fertility don't exist yet. Not to mention, new vaping products are hitting the market faster than research can keep up.

What’s more, much of the research that has been done uses animals instead of people, so it’s hard to know whether or not the results in animals are applicable to us humans. All that’s to say, we don't know the full extent of fertility damage vapes can cause over years and decades. 

If you vape and want to get pregnant: Your next steps

If you vape and want to have children, whether you’re male or female, not all hope is lost. Quitting as soon as you can is the best option for fertility. While there’s no denying that quitting is hard, the fertility benefits are real—and there are plenty of things that can help you end the habit. 

You can talk to your doctor about evidence-based smoking cessation methods, like nicotine replacement therapy, prescription medications (like Chantix or Wellbutrin), or counseling. 

There are also other resources at your disposal to help you quit smoking that are free and give you access to highly trained professional counselors who tailor programs to your specific needs:

• Call: 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669)

• Text: QUITNOW to 333888

• CDC's How to Quit Smoking cdc.gov/quit

• National Cancer Institute's Smokefree.gov

• National Cancer Institute's quitSTART app 

Keep your doctor or fertility specialist in the loop at all times so they can best assist you in your journey to conceive.