The Basic Risks Of Cigarette Smoke On Pregnant Women

One of the worst health effects of smoking is the way primary and secondhand smoke harm fetuses

. Even women who don't smoke nor live with smokers have experienced adverse health effects including children being born premature underweight. In fact, this latter effect is so significant that countries in Europe have noticed a decline of this type of birth problem that correlates exactly with bans on smoking in public places, where pregnant mothers would be exposed to errant secondhand smoke. Most of this information is common knowledge and few mothers subject their pregnancy to the risks of cigarette smoke, but the risks are grave enough to warrant enumeration.

The worst case scenario is when pregnant and breastfeeding mothers themselves smoke. Carbon monoxide and nicotine are among the worst chemicals to which a developing fetus is exposed when the mother smokes. Carbon monoxide limits oxygen flow and leads to fetus hypoxia, which can have widespread effects on the fetus' brain development, among other things. These chemicals and others lead directly to genetic damage to the fetus.

Nicotine is thought to be directly responsible for the increased rates of spontaneous abortion found in pregnant women who smoke. It is also linked to placental problems, low birth weight, mortality in the second and third trimesters and the period immediately after birth, and congenital malformations. Other problems like mental development issues have also been shown to be correlated with pregnant smoking, although the cause could be another factor. The risks of smoking while pregnant tend to be very high.

Nicotine is found in the breast milk of women who smoke. Data suggests that while nicotine levels in the placenta are higher than those to which the smoker is exposed, they are often double that level in breast milk. However, it seems that beast milk itself is so good for babies that children of smoking mothers who breast feed have a lower incidence of reparatory illness than those bottle fed with formula. Smoking does, however, decrease milk production and babies of smoking mothers tend to be more likely to exhibit weaning behaviors earlier.

Unfortunately, the dangers that become more likely when pregnant mothers seem to be almost as likely for those regularly exposed to secondhand smoke. On the other hand, earlier studies suggested that secondhand smoke has a far less significant effect on the developing fetus than smoking. However, more recent studies all seem to answer these older conclusions and make a strong case not just for smoking cessation before pregnancy but also for finding ways to eliminate regular exposure to secondhand smoke at this time.

It's no surprise that smoking and cigarette smoke are particularly harmful for a developing fetus because of how susceptible they are at that early stage of development. But the actual data about the kinds of severe damage that can result from smoking and secondhand smoke drives home the point.

by: Nathan Roberson

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