Q: I am working in Kuwait and in my office my bosses and other staff are smoking a lot and the smell of the smoke makes me upset. They smoke continuously. Will this affect my pregnancy? I am planning to have a baby but I want to know whether this will affect my health. I do not smoke but the smoke that I am inhaling in the office upsets me. Should I leave the job due to this?

A:Smoking, both active as well as passive (as in your case), is bad for the health of everybody. For a pregnant lady it can lead to some problems like small, under weight baby, a slight increase in the chances of a miscarriage, etc. It is best to avoid it as far as possible. However in our society it is not always possible to achieve this in totality. After all, it is not possible to change the environment in a short period of time. I would advise you not to leave the job if you need to work. Try and gently counsel your bosses. Keep your table at a location where the smoke has the least chance of coming in high concentration. During pregnancy, eat well and look after your nutrition very well and stay under the care of an obstetrician.