Introduction: According to the World Health Organization, infertility is defined as the inability to conceive following 12 months of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. Cigarette smoking, alcohol and drugs are the main stimulants exerting a negative effect on the male and female reproductive organs. Objective: The objective of the study was analysis of the effect of cigarette smoking by the women examined and their partners on the quality of embryos obtained in in vitro fertilization programmes. Material and methods: The study covered 54 women treated due to infertility. The database and statistical analyses were performed by means of computer software STATISTICA 7.1 (StatSoft, Poland). Results: The study showed that among 100% of the women examined, 24.07% smoked cigarettes. No statistically significant difference was observed between cigarette smoking by the women in the study (p=0.42), and the number of cigarettes smoked daily (p=0.52) and the total duration of smoking expressed in years (p=0.56). In addition, the study showed that 33.33% of respondents were exposed to passive nicotinism, while 66.67% were not exposed to passive smoking. In the group of women exposed to passive smoking, Class A embryos constituted 11.11%, Class B embryos – 83.38%, whereas Class C embryos – only 5.56%. A statistically significant relationship was noted between classes of embryos and exposure to passive nicotinism (p=0.03). Passive smoking results in the development of embryos of poorer quality. A significantly higher number of Class 2 embryos were produced from oocytes of women exposed to the effect of cigarette smoke, compared to Class 1. Among women at reproductive age, an active campaign should be carried out against nicotinism on behalf of their fertility and future maternity.
Introduction. Sexual education is still a non-defined area concerning the sex life of man. It is perceived differently depending on the country and its culture. In Poland, it should be implemented as part of ‘Family Life Education’. Objective. The aim of the research is to present the opinion of male and female high school students concerning sex education. Materials and methods. The research was conducted in 2014 on 450 male and female high school students in two provinces of Poland: 225 students from the Stanislaw Konarski High School in Mielec, Podkarpackie Province, and 225 from the Zbigniew Herbert High School in Lublin, Lubelskie province. Results. Close to half of the surveyed participated in a class ‘Family Life Education’ (48%); however, 32% and 22.9% were not satisfied with the class. Poor aspects of the subject were observed by the great majority of students (70%). Most of the youths (68.9%) desire a more complex approach to the subject, to be led by a medical specialist (68%). Conclusions. The students stated that sex education as part of ‘Family Life Education’ class is not satisfactory. They demand a specialist, medical knowledge of human sexuality. Parents, who should constitute a major source of information, had considerable influence in the sex education of their children.