THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF SMOKING
ON PREGNANCY
Nonsmokers have fewer complications with pregnancy
and have
healthier babies than smokers.
The cervix is the lower third portion of the uterus.
The baby passes through the cervix when it is born.
Smoking can cause cervical cancer. Tobacco use increases
the risk of pre-cancerous changes as well as cancer
of the cervix.
In 2003, an estimated 12,200 new cases of cervical
cancer were diagnosed, and an estimated 4,100 women
died of cervical cancer.
Smoking can cause infertility in women, making it
more difficult to start a family.
Smoking is harmful during every part of the development
of the baby, and continues to be harmful after a baby
is born.
Smoking can cause babies to be born prematurely,
and to have low birth weight, respiratory diseases,
and other illnesses. Low birth weight is the leading
cause of infant deaths.
Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of
placenta previa and placental abruption.
Nicotine in cigarettes may cause the blood vessels
to
constrict in the umbilical cord and uterus, decreasing
the amount of oxygen the unborn baby receives. Nicotine
may also reduce the amount of blood in the baby’s bloodstream,
which can contribute to low birth weight.
Women who smoke while pregnant have a higher risk
of premature rupture of membranes before labor begins.
This can lead to premature birth and possibly infant
death.
Secondhand smoke may have terrible effects on a newborn
baby. Smoking by mothers causes sudden infant death
syndrome (SIDS). Infants exposed to secondhand smoke
are at twice the risk of SIDS than unexposed infants.
If a nursing mother smokes, her breast milk may contain
nicotine, which may be harmful if a baby drinks it.
