Effects Of Smoking In Pregnancy Research Articles

Harmful effects of smoking in pregnancy

Extracted from text ... September 2005, Vol. 11, No. 3 51 SAJOG Exposure of the fetus to cigarette smoke is an important, dose-related and preventable risk factor in the quest for optimal pregnancy outcome. It is therefore essential that all health care workers and mothers are fully aware of these adverse effects. Nicotine, the dominant alkaloid in tobacco smoke, easily crosses the placenta, leading to fetal plasma concentrations on average 15% higher than those of the mother.1 Nicotine also concentrates in placental tissue, amniotic fluid and breast-milk. Amniotic nicotine levels in the mid-trimester are up to 54% higher than those in maternal serum. The ..

The effect of smoking in pregnancy on maternal serum inhibin A levels.

To assess the effect of smoking on maternal serum, second-trimester inhibin A levels, we studied a database of 1277 women undergoing antenatal serum screening. There were 75 smokers, 1008 non-smokers and 194 women in whom smoking status was undetermined. All groups were matched for age, gestation and parity. The median level of inhibin A in smokers was 1.47 multiples of the normal gestation-specific median (MOM) as compared with 1.01 MOM in non-smokers and 0.95 MOM in the undetermined group. The increase was highly statistically significant (p<0.0001, Wilcoxon rank sum test, two-tail). On the basis of these results we conclude that if inhibin A is used as a marker, adjustment for maternal smoking status may be necessary.

Effects of smoking in pregnancy on neonatal lung function

AIMSTo assess the effects of smoking during pregnancy on lung mechanics and lung volumes in the immediate neonatal period, before infants are exposed to passive smoking.METHODSLung function tests were carried...

The effects of smoking in pregnancy: a review of approaches to behavioural change

A substantial body of evidence has now been accumulated which suggests that cigarette smoking during pregnancy can result in an increased incidence in the number of babies born of lower birth weight. There is also an increase in perinatal mortality in babies born to smoking mothers, as well as a higher incidence of spontaneous abortion, greater mortality and morbidity during the first year of life and a lower rate of growth and reduction in mental aptitude into late adolescence. Despite this compelling evidence it has been found that only a relatively small proportion of women who smoke actually stop when they become pregnant. It has been found that knowledge of the potential effects of smoking does not appear to exert a major influence on pregnant women's smoking behaviour. There is also relatively little research which addresses the reasons why some pregnant women continue to smoke during pregnancy. The issue is clearly complex and the evidence that does exist points to the need for health professionals to adopt more sophisticated interventions with pregnant women, which move beyond a simple educational approach.

Smoking cessation in pregnancy Mode of intervention and effect

Three groups (n = 50 each) of pregnant smokers wanting to quit the habit were assigned to three different intervention programs around their 18th week in pregnancy. Group 1 participated in a smoking cessation program offering several self-help methods; group 2 attended a doctor's information meeting at the hospital; and group 3 received a pamphlet on the deleterious effects of smoking in pregnancy. For Group 4, the control group, there was no intervention. In all three intervention groups, more than one-third reduced their smoking to almost half, while 38% quit altogether in group 1, compared with less than 10% in groups 2 and 3. Twelve months later, 16%, 6% and 8% respectively, remained abstinent in the three groups. In groups 2 and 3, abstinence proved to be of the same magnitude as in the control group. We conclude that smoking in pregnancy, being one of the few amenable to risk factors affecting the perinatal death statistics, demands an active smoking cessation program during pregnancy led by specially trained health professionals.

The effect of smoking in pregnancy on maternal serum alpha‐fetoprotein, unconjugated oestriol, human chorionic gonadotrophin, progesterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate levels

The effect of smoking in pregnancy on maternal serum alpha‐fetoprotein, unconjugated oestriol, human chorionic gonadotrophin, progesterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate levels

Cigarette smoking in pregnancy results in marked decrease in maternal hCG and oestradiol levels.

We have examined serum levels of oestradiol (E2), sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) during early pregnancy in relation to smoking status at the time of sampling in a series of 147 women. Smoking was associated with significantly depressed serum levels of E2, SHBG and hCG: in smokers, E2 levels were on average 17.6% lower (P = 0.037), SHBG levels were 12.4% lower (P = 0.15), and hCG levels were 21.5% lower (P = 0.044). There appeared to be a steady decline in these values with increasing cigarette consumption. These lower hormone levels in smokers may explain certain adverse effects of smoking in pregnancy.

The Effects of Cigarette Smoking in Pregnancy

The Effects of Cigarette Smoking in Pregnancy

Some effects of smoking in pregnancy.

Some effects of smoking in pregnancy.