Pregnant & Smoking: 6 Reasons Not to Smoke

The information provided by our expert should not constitute a diagnosis of your condition. Always consult a medical practitioner or healthcare provider for a formal diagnosis. By making use of this content, you agree that ConceiveEasy and the expert assume no liability.

Smoking comes with a hoard of bad effects on the body. Smoking should be avoided at all costs especially during pregnancy because it can harm the baby in many ways. Reports say that about ten percent of women smoke even when they are pregnant and this causes a number of problems for the baby. Claim Your 20 Free Pregnancy Tests – Click Here

The more you smoke, the more you worsen the risks. Just by not smoking throughout your pregnancy you can save yourself and your baby a lot of troubles. Listed below are some of the risks of smoking when you are pregnant.

Miscarriage and stillbirth

Miscarriages are generally common during the first trimester and smoking is actually among the top reasons behind miscarriages. Miscarriage may be defined as the death of the baby during early pregnancy. If the fetus dies after twenty weeks of pregnancy, it is called stillbirth. Did you know that cigarette smoke consists of more than four thousand toxins and chemicals? These chemicals are very dangerous and are likely to result in the death of your unborn child.

Growth problems

When you smoke you cause circulation problems of the blood. The blood vessels that connect to the placenta are restricted and that is why the blood flow is dangerously reduced. Blood flow to your baby is very important because it is through the blood that the growing fetus gets oxygen and nutrients. If this happens, the growth of the baby is restricted. As a result, the baby is born underweight. Underweight and small babies are prone to infections, feeding problems, breathing problems, and other health problems.

Membrane rupture

There is a condition known as the PROM or Premature Rupture of Membranes. In this condition, before the labor itself the bag of water breaks. This bag of water holds the baby in. If the PROM occurs, the baby becomes susceptible to a number of complications such as infections that are very dangerous.


These include placental abruption and chorioamnionitis. Premature birth risks are also very high. These are complications that can put your life and your baby’s life at a huge risk. Prematurely born babies develop a number of problems such as behavior issues and learning disabilities.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

If you have smoked during your pregnancy and are also smoking afterward, the chances of your baby dying due to the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) are tripled. If you stop smoking when you are pregnant you can avoid this dangerous problem that can actually kill your child.

Birth defects

Smoking highly increases the risks of birth defects in the baby. Heart defects, cleft lip, limb reduction defects, etc. are just a few examples. Birth defects usually occur during early pregnancy or during the first trimester. Hence there should be absolutely no smoking during the first trimester at least. The time is extremely risky.

Secondhand smoke

Remember that being exposed to secondhand smoking is just as dangerous as smoking yourself. You should stay away from the toxic smoke and abstain from smoking right from the time you find out that you are pregnant or better still, right from the time you decide to get pregnant. Smoking has never done any good and thus, stopping smoking would be the best thing for you and your unborn child.

ConceiveEasy TTC Kit + 20 FREE Pregnancy Tests

Dr. Prabha Sahgal, MD
Dr. Prabha Sahgal, MD | ConceiveEasy
Dr. Prabha Sahgal MD, is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and subspecialty board certified in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. Dr. Sahgal holds a B.S. degree from MIT in molecular biology and currently serves on the ConceiveEasy board of directors.

Comments