The Effects of Smoking on the Unborn
There are many risk factors concerning the effects of smoking and the unborn. Medical evidence has established that smoking during pregnancy increases the risks of miscarriage, growth retardation, premature birth, low birth weight, and sometimes even death of the newborn. In April 1995, there was a published study of the effects of smoking during pregnancy that was conducted by the Journal of Family Practice. The study showed that smoking causes between 19,000 and 141,000 "spontaneous abortions" or miscarriages with an estimate of 115,000 per year. It has also been suggested that smoking is the cause of 14% of the pre-term births in the United States. The news, however, is not all bad because some studies show that a woman who stops smoking early in her pregnancy ( up to the fourth month period) can reduce the negative effects on the unborn fetus.
Some have asked, "If I have been smoking for ten years prior to my pregnancy, will it harm my baby?" The answer is "No", but smoking beyond the fourth month period of pregnancy is hazardous to the babies health. Babies of smoking mothers are more likely to suffer breathing lapses and are even more likely to die of sudden infant death syndrome.
A 1996 study linked smoking to retardation. The study showed that women who smoke during pregnancy were 50% more likely to have mentally retarded children. It also revealed that approximately 35% of the women who gave birth to retarted children reported smoking as few as five cigarettes a week during the pregnancy. You have probably wondered what kind of chemicals are in cigarettes that would cause such harm to the unborn fetus and how? The reason is, there are over four thousand substances found in tobacco smoke. Sixty of those substances are associated with cancer and tumor formation. Two of the four thousand considered to be the most dangerous are carbon monoxide and nicotine (tar). When the smoke is inhaled into a woman's lungs, all... [continues]
There are many risk factors concerning the effects of smoking and the unborn. Medical evidence has established that smoking during pregnancy increases the risks of miscarriage, growth retardation, premature birth, low birth weight, and sometimes even death of the newborn. In April 1995, there was a published study of the effects of smoking during pregnancy that was conducted by the Journal of Family Practice. The study showed that smoking causes between 19,000 and 141,000 "spontaneous abortions" or miscarriages with an estimate of 115,000 per year. It has also been suggested that smoking is the cause of 14% of the pre-term births in the United States. The news, however, is not all bad because some studies show that a woman who stops smoking early in her pregnancy ( up to the fourth month period) can reduce the negative effects on the unborn fetus.
Some have asked, "If I have been smoking for ten years prior to my pregnancy, will it harm my baby?" The answer is "No", but smoking beyond the fourth month period of pregnancy is hazardous to the babies health. Babies of smoking mothers are more likely to suffer breathing lapses and are even more likely to die of sudden infant death syndrome.
A 1996 study linked smoking to retardation. The study showed that women who smoke during pregnancy were 50% more likely to have mentally retarded children. It also revealed that approximately 35% of the women who gave birth to retarted children reported smoking as few as five cigarettes a week during the pregnancy. You have probably wondered what kind of chemicals are in cigarettes that would cause such harm to the unborn fetus and how? The reason is, there are over four thousand substances found in tobacco smoke. Sixty of those substances are associated with cancer and tumor formation. Two of the four thousand considered to be the most dangerous are carbon monoxide and nicotine (tar). When the smoke is inhaled into a woman's lungs, all... [continues]
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