Pregnancy
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Despite concerted efforts by researchers and health care professionals, maternal smoking during pregnancy remains a serious public health problem. Approximately 20% - 30% of pregnant women use tobacco during pregnancy. Many of these women quit during pregnancy and another proportion reduce their tobacco use.
Smoking in pregnancy results in serious risks for both the woman and the fetus. Cigarette smoking by pregnant girls and women has been shown to increase risks of complications in pregnancy and to cause serious adverse fetal outcomes including low birth weight, still births, spontaneous abortions, decreased fetal growth, premature births, placental abruption, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Other reproduction related effects of smoking include lower estrogen levels leading to early menopause and links to infertility.
Quitting smoking during pregnancy has considerable positive health impact for both women and fetuses, and reduces health problems for children born of mothers who smoke.
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