Effect of Active Smoking During Pregnancy on Women and Newborn Health

Abstract

The aim of the study was to identify the effect of prenatal smoking on mother and newborn health. The study was carried out in 700 women, who delivered at Merkez Efendi Maternity and Children's Hospital between 1 st January, 2011 and 31 st December, 2011.Of the sample of women, 15.6% were current and 7.3% were quitting smokers. Women who continued smoking during pregnancy lived in households with husband who smoked and had higher rates of depressive symptoms and pregnancy included hypertension. Smoker women more likely reported to expose physical violence during pregnancy by their partner. Meconium in amniotic fluid was associated with women smoking status. Newborns who were exposed to tobacco smoke prenatally had deficits in weight (-186.6 gr), height (-0.9 cm) and head circumference at birth (-0.6 cm). In the study when women quit smoking during the first trimester, their infants have anthropometric measures similar to infants of nonsmokers.Smoking during pregnancy was related to low birth weight, height, and with small head circumference. Smoking cessation during pregnancy may have a greater impact on baby anthropometrics measures which were similar to infants of nonsmokers. To protect the health of their future unborn children, it would be optimal to target all women of reproductive age to quit smoking before they consider becoming pregnant.

Passive Smoking and Children’s Health

“…Nicotine induces vasoconstriction, alters placental blood flow and causes oxygen deprivation in the fetus [26]. The effects of pregnant active smoking during pregnancy on fetal outcomes are trimester and dose dependent, and may increase the risk of adverse health effects on the fetus such as lower Apgar scale results, smaller head circumference [27], gastrointestinal defects (gastroschisis, ventral, umbilical or inguinal hernia), heart, cardiovascular and muscleskelectal defects, craniosynostosis, oral cleft, eye anomalies, limb reduction defects, digit anomaly and clubfoot, cryptorchidism [7] [24] and significantly blunted response to treatment with inhaled corticosteroids in children who subsequently develop asthma [26] [28] [29]. In response to fetal smoke exposure occurs increased arterial resistance with left atrium and aortic root development in post natal life [30] and structural and functional changes in the central nervous system [31].…”