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Electronic cigarette:What are the risks when you are pregnant?

In France, smoking among pregnant women is a real problem. According to figures from Public Health France, 20 to 24% of them continue to smoke during the first trimester of their pregnancy. On the third, they would still be between 14 to 20%. However, the risks of complications due to tobacco are known. But it can be very difficult to quit smoking, cigarettes are a real addiction for some people.

To quit smoking for a pregnant woman, there are several solutions:nicotine substitutes, as well as electronic cigarettes . The advantage of vaping is that it is possible to choose an e-liquid without nicotine. The electronic cigarette without nicotine is indeed to be preferred for pregnant women who have a high tobacco consumption.

What are the dangers of smoking in a pregnant woman?

From the first cigarette, smoking is dangerous for your health. These are the toxic compounds of the cigarette (tar, heavy metals, etc.), but also its combustion resulting in production of carbon monoxide in the body , which are particularly harmful to smokers.

For a pregnant woman, and especially for the fetus, smoking is very dangerous. Smoking during pregnancy can lead to risks and complications:miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, premature birth, difficult healing after a caesarean section, metrorrhagia … The greater the cigarette consumption, the greater the risks. Passive smoking can also increase the risk in pregnant women.

Electronic cigarette:What are the risks when you are pregnant?

Quitting smoking:what solutions for a pregnant woman?

Since 1999, nicotine substitutes have been authorized for pregnant women. Chewing gum, candy, patches… These are the preferred solutions for a pregnant woman who wishes to quit smoking, since their effects are known and the dose of nicotine administered is established.

For several years, specialists and health professionals have been looking into the use of electronic cigarettes during pregnancy. For the vast majority, there is no debate:it is better to vape than to smoke, even for a pregnant woman . The best option is to successfully quit smoking with electronic cigarettes in order to completely quit.

Without combustion, without tar and without thousands of toxic particles, the baby and the mother ward off the risks associated with tobacco. The advantage of smoking cessation by electronic cigarette in a pregnant woman is that it accompanies the cessation of smoking gently . This relieves the body of lack, which leads to stress, which can also lead to complications during pregnancy and birth.

Few studies have been conducted on the subject. With current knowledge, the National College of French Obstetrician Gynecologists recommends initially the use of patches and chewing gum . However, the ideal for a pregnant woman being not to return to a cigarette, the use of the electronic cigarette can be used as a smoking cessation aid if necessary.

Electronic cigarette:What are the risks when you are pregnant?

Pregnant woman:electronic cigarette with or without nicotine?

According to the Royal Society of Public Health in the UK, when not smoked, nicotine is close to caffeine in terms of toxicological profile. For most health professionals and tobacco specialists, the real danger of cigarettes is combustion and all the additives added by the tobacco industry to get nicotine to the brain faster. Nevertheless, in large doses, nicotine, acting as a vasoconstrictor, can become harmful to the fetus by accelerating its heart.

The electronic cigarette therefore serves as a support for a pregnant woman who is trying to quit smoking . The dose of nicotine must adapt to his needs, so as not to create a lack. However, the ideal is to only keep your smoking gestures by using an e-liquid without nicotine.