Smoking During Pregnancy Raises More Concern

Studies conducted across the world are looking at the risks of smoking while pregnant as well as the potential risks of second hand smoke exposure. The findings of various studies are causing health industry practice changes. Those changes could prevent a non-smoking female from receiving in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments if her partner smokes, among others.

It is no secret that smoking while pregnant is harmful to the unborn baby. Common issues stemming from smoking include low birth weights, heart defects, birth defects, miscarriage, still birth, and continued tobacco use following birth increases the risk of SIDS or cot death. Recently, cholesterol and preterm menopause have come into the picture as associated risks.

Studies conducted have found that infants born to smokers have a lower level of good cholesterol, too. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) plays an important role in protecting against atherosclerosis, where fatty materials collect along the walls of arterial vessels. If left untreated, the fat eventually blocks off the arteries leading to heart attack and stroke.

Professor David Celermajer, lead author of the study said, “Our results suggest that maternal smoking ‘imprints’ an unhealthy set of characteristics on children while they are developing in the womb, which may well predispose them to later heart attack and stroke. This imprinting seems to last for at least eight years and probably a lot longer.” The study conducted checked the cholesterol levels of eight-year-old children of both smokers and non-smokers. This is where the time factor was concluded.

Cholesterol levels tend to track from childhood into adulthood. Children born of smokers have a ten to fifteen percent higher risk for heart problems later in life. This study brought forth important information in how smoking during pregnancy effects the heart years down the road, even when those children do not age into tobacco addiction themselves.

In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service (NHS) has declared they will no longer provide IVF treatment for women when her partner smokes. Despite limited evidence of the dangers associated with second hand smoke exposure during pregnancy, primary care trusts (PCT) are raising the bar stating that smoking prior to conception damages sperm.

A recent Japanese Study published in the Journal Fertility and Sterility, linked smoking in fathers during their partners’ pregnancies with earlier menopause in daughters. Professor Simon Fishel, director of Care Fertility, Brittan’s largest IVF provider, said that distinguishing between passive smoking after a child is born and while in the womb is almost impossible. He feels that the evidence provided in the study is not conclusive, though it is clear that smoking causes potentially harmful 'epigenetic' changes in sperm and eggs. No matter his opinion, the NHS will not provide funding for IVF treatments unless both partners test clear for smoking.

No matter the reason for smoking discrimination, it is bad for everyone’s health. Including those growing and not yet born. As more studies are conducted, more journals will release information that shows just how damaging smoking is while pregnant and not. Know your options and make positive choices to ensure a healthier and happier family for generations to come.