Smoking during pregnancy

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Smoking during pregnancy

If you are a smoker and get pregnant, you should quit. If you are not a smoker, avoid secondhand smoke. Many programs are available to help pregnant women quit smoking. Ask your doctor or nurse-midwife for information on quitting smoking while pregnant.

Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of:¹

Placenta abruptio and placenta previa.
Bleeding during pregnancy.
Preterm labor.
Miscarriage and stillbirth.
A low-birth-weight baby.
Death early in life (twice the risk of babies born to nonsmoking mothers), particularly due to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

If your baby or child is exposed to smoke after birth, he or she will be more prone to illness and breathing problems.

References

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Citations
Gardella JR, Hill JA III (2000). Environmental toxins associated with recurrent pregnancy loss. Seminars in Reproductive Medicine, 18(4): 407–424.

Credits

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Author	Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH
Editor	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS
Associate Editor	Pat Truman, MATC
Primary Medical Reviewer	Renée M. Crichlow, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	Kirtly Jones, MD - Obstetrics and Gynecology
Last Updated	November 30, 2006

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Last updated:	November 30, 2006
Author:	Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH
Reviewed By:	Renée M. Crichlow, MD - Family Medicine, Kirtly Jones, MD - Obstetrics and Gynecology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC

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