Effects of Smoking during Pregnancy
Effects of Smoking during Pregnancy
Smoking causes very serious effects during pregnancy on both the pregnant woman and the baby. A pregnant woman who frequently smokes is at a higher risk of a miscarriage and other complications such as bleeding, detachment of placenta, ectopic pregnancy and premature birth. There is a possibility of giving birth to a baby with a low birth weight or a stillborn baby. There may be some congenital defects in the baby (for instance, a cleft palate).
Why is Smoking Dangerous?
It is estimated that every minute about 7 people die due to tobacco use. According to researches, tobacco in a cigarette contains more than 400 toxic substances and 4,000 chemical compounds. Let us see how harmful smoking such substances can be.
Smoking causes very serious effects during pregnancy on both the pregnant woman and the baby. A pregnant woman who frequently smokes is at a higher risk of a miscarriage and other complications such as bleeding, detachment of placenta, ectopic pregnancy and premature birth. There is a possibility of giving birth to a baby with a low birth weight or a stillborn baby. There may be some congenital defects in the baby (for instance, a cleft palate).
Why is Smoking Dangerous?
It is estimated that every minute about 7 people die due to tobacco use. According to researches, tobacco in a cigarette contains more than 400 toxic substances and 4,000 chemical compounds. Let us see how harmful smoking such substances can be.
- The most hazardous substances in cigarettes are tar (which is a carcinogen), nicotine (which increases cholesterol levels in the body) and carbon monoxide (which decreases the amount of oxygen within the body).
- Nicotine is the most addictive substance in tobacco. Smoking decreases the level of oxygen from reaching the tissues, giving rise to different health problems such as strokes, heart attacks or miscarriages.
- It increases cholesterol levels in the blood, thus increasing the risk of heart attacks.
- Smoking causes damage and constriction of blood vessels, leading to various diseases of blood vessels.
- Smoking also causes chronic coughing, shortness of breath, premature aging, recurrent infections and reduced overall fitness.
- Smoking-related deaths are mainly because of heart diseases, cancers and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
