a friend of mine is trying to quit smoking, and one of the reasons that she wants to quit smoking is that she wants to have children at some point in her life. she found some facts about smoking and reproductive health that i thought i’d pass on to you:
from the cdc:
“”smoking is associated with a doubling in the risk for low birth weight and with an increased risk for placenta previa, abruptio placentae, bleeding during pregnancy, spontaneous abortion, and preterm rupture of membranes””
from an arizona research institute:
“”cancer of the cervix
the cervix is the opening of the uterus (womb) into the vagina. women who smoke are more likely to develop cervical cancer than those who don’t. “”
“”women who smoke cigarettes can take longer to get pregnant than women who don’t smoke. studies have found that women who smoke 10 to 20 cigarettes per day are 20% less likely to have given birth in the first year of trying. in the second and third years of trying, about twice as many women who smoke have not given birth compared to women who don’t smoke. so, if you’re trying to get pregnant, stopping smoking can help your chances. “”
“”ectopic (tubal) pregnancy happens when an egg is fertilized and becomes implanted outside the uterus. women who smoke cigarettes have a 2 to 4 times greater risk of having this type of pregnancy. this finding has been shown by studies all over the world. the risk also gets higher the more cigarettes you smoke and the longer you’ve smoked. an ectopic pregnancy can be life threatening and requires medical treatment or an operation. “”
‘””babies born to mothers who smoke weigh less than those born to women who don’t smoke. babies weigh less the more the mother smokes. low birth weight is also associated with an increased risk of problems after birth. “”
“”smoking is associated with complications of pregnancy, early menopause, and reduced fertility.””
-moby