Smoking causes pregnancy complications
Smokers who develop preeclampsia during pregnancy have a higher risk of suffering complications like preterm delivery, low birth weight and stillbirth.
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Smokers who develop preeclampsia during pregnancy have a higher risk of suffering complications like preterm delivery, low birth weight and stillbirth.
Preeclampsia is a syndrome marked by a sudden increase in blood pressure after the 20th week of pregnancy and a buildup of protein in the urine due to stress on the kidneys. Most women with preeclampsia deliver a healthy baby, but the condition can develop into a life-threatening condition called eclampsia, which can cause seizures or coma. Preeclampsia also slows the growth of the fetus and increases the risk of preterm birth, placental abruption - here the placenta separates from the uterine wall before delivery of the newborn, potentially leading to heavy bleeding that can be life-threatening for mother and the child.
To estimate the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes among preeclamptic women who smoke, researchers followed the data of more than 3,00,000 births in Canada between 2004 and 2006.
It was found that women who smoked during pregnancy had a slightly lower rate of developing preeclampsia - 1.2 percent, versus 1.5 percent among non-smokers. However, smokers with preeclampsia were three to six times more likely to have pregnancy complications like stillbirth, preterm delivery, placental abruption or undersized newborn than non-smokers without preeclampsia considering other factors like the mother's age and number of previous pregnancies.
This study shows that female smokers with preeclampsia have a high risk of developing pregnancy complications.
Preeclampsia is a syndrome marked by a sudden increase in blood pressure after the 20th week of pregnancy and a buildup of protein in the urine due to stress on the kidneys. Most women with preeclampsia deliver a healthy baby, but the condition can develop into a life-threatening condition called eclampsia, which can cause seizures or coma. Preeclampsia also slows the growth of the fetus and increases the risk of preterm birth, placental abruption - here the placenta separates from the uterine wall before delivery of the newborn, potentially leading to heavy bleeding that can be life-threatening for mother and the child.
To estimate the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes among preeclamptic women who smoke, researchers followed the data of more than 3,00,000 births in Canada between 2004 and 2006.
It was found that women who smoked during pregnancy had a slightly lower rate of developing preeclampsia - 1.2 percent, versus 1.5 percent among non-smokers. However, smokers with preeclampsia were three to six times more likely to have pregnancy complications like stillbirth, preterm delivery, placental abruption or undersized newborn than non-smokers without preeclampsia considering other factors like the mother's age and number of previous pregnancies.
This study shows that female smokers with preeclampsia have a high risk of developing pregnancy complications.
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