How Does Cigarette Smoke Affect a Fetus?
When a pregnant woman smokes, she risks miscarriage and negatively affects her unborn child’s lifelong health. Expectant mothers should avoid smoking cigarettes and secondhand smoke. Cigarette smoke exposes the fetus to 1,000 chemical compounds and carcinogens, including carbon monoxide, lead, nicotine and hydrogen cyanide. Carbon monoxide and nicotine alone cause significant potential damage to a fetus. Carbon monoxide exposure decreases the flow of oxygen to the fetus. The fetus and amniotic fluid retain higher levels of nicotine than the mother’s body. A 1999 study linked a similarity in the number of miscarriages due to cocaine use and cigarette use. Some 34.6 percent of the smoking expectant mothers miscarried compared to 28.9 percent of the pregnant women who used cocaine. Pregnant women who smoke are at high risk for early- and late-term miscarriages, stillbirths and premature labor. The miscarriages are often caused by spontaneous abortion and placental issues. Nicotine, which
