Tobacco smoke is the most important risk factor to consider, especially during gravidity, because pregnant women who smoke jeopardize both their pregnancy outcome and their child’s health. The harmful toxins in cigarette smoke reach the fetus directly in the womb via the umbilical cord vessels and the placenta. The nicotine it contains worsens blood flow in the uterus and placenta, leaving the unborn child with an inadequate supply of oxygen. Just twenty minutes after each cigarette, the fetus has the same concentration of nicotine in its blood as the smoking mother. The pollutant causes a faster heartbeat as well as disturbances in the development of the brain of the unborn child. Since nicotine has a strong vasoconstrictor effect, it affects the blood vessels in the placenta so that less blood and oxygen reach the fetus. This can lead to vascular spasm as well as occlusion, tissue death, and even disturbances in the development of the embryo‘s limbs. Furthermore, the carbon monoxide ingested with the smoke additionally worsens the oxygen supply in the bloodstream of mother and child, as it displaces oxygen from its red blood cells serving as a means of transport. Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk in the fetus for:
- Tumor diseases, such as leukemia
- Mental retardation as well as disabilities
- Concentration weaknesses, coordination and speech disorders.
- Behavioral disorders and hyperactivity
- Growth disorders
- High risk of leukemia and lymphoma
- Erythropenia and a low hemoglobin level.
- Vitamin B12 deficiency, which can result in chromosomal damage and inhibited cell division
- Lower lung capacity
- Bronchial asthma
- Allergies and infections
- Diabetes mellitus and obesity
- Sudden infant death syndrome
Although the damage to the fetus depends on the level of cigarette consumption, significant negative changes in the unborn child are already detectable when regularly smoked about seven cigarettes a day. The unborn child’s development is considerably disturbed, and it has to struggle with the health damage not only in adolescence, but also in later life. Tobacco use during gravidity and lactation increases the risk of mental damage to children. The more smoking, the lower the child’s intelligence quotient. One pack of cigarettes per day increases the risk by 85% of giving birth to a mentally retarded child. Studies also show that children who have already “smoked along” in the womb throughout pregnancy have a significantly higher risk of developing bronchial asthma at school age. Until now, it was well known that children who are regularly exposed to cigarette smoke are more likely to develop asthma. However, the damage apparently begins intrauterine (“inside the womb”).
Tumor diseases (cancers)
Furthermore, tobacco smoke contains carcinogenic substances that can damage the DNA of the unborn child and thus cause later leukemia or other tumor diseases in childhood. The chemical 4-aminobiphenyl, which is held responsible for leukemia, has often been detected in the blood of children of smoking mothers. The toxic substances thus enter the fetus’ bloodstream unimpeded, and the placenta does not act as a barrier against such substances.
Vital substance deficiency
In addition to the harmful substances of smoking, vital substance deficiencies resulting from cigarette consumption also affect gravidity and exacerbate tobacco-related developmental disorders in the child. The critical vital substances are vitamin A, E, folic acid and zinc. Calcium and vitamin D deficiencies in the mother due to smoking impair the development of bones and teeth of the unborn child, lower its calcium level in the blood and increase the development of rickets. Vitamin B1 deficiencies cause severe vitamin B1 deficiency and consequent heart failure in the fetus. If iodine is lacking in the pregnant woman’s diet, the child may suffer a severe mental developmental disorder. Folic acid deficiencies increase the risk of premature birth, stillbirth, birth defects, and low birth weight.Smoking during pregnancy – vital substance deficiency.
| Vital substance deficiency | Effects on the fetus |
| Vitamin A | Increased risk for
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| Vitamin E | Increased risk for
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| Vitamin D |
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| Vitamin B1 |
Increased risk of
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| Folic acid | Increased risk for
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| Calcium |
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| Iodine |
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| Zinc | Increased risk for
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Birth complications
Smokers often have an increased risk of preterm birth, miscarriage, and birth complications (increased risk up to 70% with ten cigarettes daily). The relative risk increases with increasing maternal age as well as with the number of cigarettes smoked daily. Smokers are more than twice as likely to require sectiones (cesarean deliveries), and many experience postpartum hemorrhage and decreased birth weights. Often, infants of smoking mothers weigh 150 to 200 grams less than newborns of nonsmokers
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
If the mother smokes up to nine cigarettes a day – in gravidity as well as in the lactation phase, the risk of sudden infant death increases fivefold, with the newborn child dying between the eighth day of life and the end of the first year of life. If the mother increases the dose of cigarettes – more than ten cigarettes a day – the infant’s mortality risk increases tenfold. According to the study, nicotine, as a neurotoxin, impairs the functions of docking sites in the brain that play an important role in controlling breathing and waking. It dampens the sensitivity of a protein complex, which has the task of sounding the alarm in the event of poor oxygen supply during sleep and triggering a kind of wake-up reflex. High tobacco consumption by the mother thus causes a dysfunction of respiratory function in the child. Furthermore, brain dysfunction can occur, affecting cardiovascular regulation or certain wake-up mechanisms. Often, these circumstances result in a slowed heart rate and eventual cessation of breathing. Because brain maturation occurs between the third and fourth months of infants’ lives, increased cigarette use can significantly impair it in the form of changes and developmental disorders. However, sudden infant death as a result of smoking can also be caused by viral infections. In studies of children who died unexpectedly, certain types of viruses – such as influenza and adenoviruses – have been found to cause inflammation in the respiratory tract.
Mental impairment of the child
Children who grew up in the womb of a smoking woman are often three times more likely to develop symptoms such as poor concentration and hyperactivity during their school or adolescent years. Such children have difficulty concentrating on tasks, suppressing inappropriate behavior, and sitting still. In many cases, affected children are three times more likely to develop behavioral disorders in the form of conspicuously aggressive as well as stubborn behavioral expressions. It is assumed that the nicotine contained in cigarette smoke causes a change in the nicotine receptor during a sensitive phase of early childhood development, which increases the child’s aggressive behavior.
Passive smoking during pregnancy
Passive smoking in gravidity is also dangerous and has been linked to an increased number of tumors in adulthood – especially leukemia and lymphoma. If a pregnant woman comes into frequent contact with smokers, it can lead to underdevelopment as well as premature birth, miscarriage and stillbirth of the unborn child. For more information on “Tobacco Use,” see “Stimulants” in the “Micronutrient Medicine” umbrella topic.