I smoked cigarettes and weed when I was younger. I haven’t touched either in five years, but will it have damaged my fertility?

If all we’re talking about here is a few puffs on the odd night out and the occasional toke on a joint, you needn’t worry about lasting damage down there. If you lit up regularly, however, it’s a bit murkier. ‘Current cigarette smokers take longer to get pregnant, have increased complications and have lower pregnancy rates after fertility treatments,’ explains Dr Sheeva Talebian, an NYC-based fertility specialist. ‘In women who used to smoke, these same findings are noted, but to a lesser degree,’ she adds. It’s also known that smoking accelerates the rate of egg loss.

Unfortunately, a lack of research means that we don’t know as much about the fertility consequences of cannabis use. ‘I think it’s very likely we’ll find a negative impact similar to that of tobacco, as smoking marijuana exposes you to some of the same toxins,’ says Dr Talebian. ‘Our reproductive organs are exposed to everything we ingest and inhale, so we can’t totally erase the consequences,’ she adds. But don’t self-flagellate: quitting is hard, and by stopping when you did, you’ll have exercised significant damage control. Now keep it up.