Consequences of smoking during pregnancy and the effect of tobacco smoke on the fetus. Everything you need to know about the placenta
The umbilical cord is the link between the placenta and the baby.
Without a placenta, the life of the fetus is impossible. After all, only thanks to her and the vessels that are located in the umbilical cord, the baby gets everything necessary in order to live and develop. If there are any disorders in the placenta, then they greatly affect the fetus and at the same time a variety of problems can arise, which are not always possible to solve.
Maternal smoking and the placenta
A particularly strong negative impact on the placenta has smoking a pregnant woman. And not only during pregnancy, but also during the period when the conception of the unborn child occurs.
The first problem associated with smoking during pregnancy is little weight newborn. And if children of non-smoking parents are born with a weight of 3 kg 300 gr. - 3 kg 600 gr, then the weight of children from smoking mothers barely reaches 3 kg.
But it's in best case. Most often, such babies are born with a weight of 2 kg 500 gr. – 2 kg 700 gr. How could this be dangerous? These kids are very restless, they sleep poorly and eat poorly. And a mother with a child is simply not discharged from the maternity hospital until the moment when the child gains the weight due to him. And often, immediately from the maternity hospital, the newborn and mother go to the children's hospital for further observation.
The second problem that a woman who smokes during pregnancy may face is placental abruption. This is a very serious condition that often threatens the life of the crumbs. Normally, detachment of the placenta from the walls of the uterus occurs only after childbirth. Now imagine that the placenta began to exfoliate at 20-30 weeks of pregnancy. At the same time, it is no longer connected with the mother's body in any way, which means that the child can no longer receive oxygen. And his death is coming.
Moreover, it arises heavy bleeding, A uterine bleeding has one feature - it is very difficult to stop. And often, in order to save a woman (and there is no question of saving a child here), it is necessary to remove the uterus. That is, a woman will never be able to become a mother again. But it's just the consequences of smoking.
During the mother's smoking, the child constantly experiences oxygen starvation. And this is a big danger for the development of his organs. Smoking is especially dangerous in the early stages of pregnancy, when the fetal organs are maturing.
Most often, mother's smoking affects the brain, because instead of oxygen, the child receives the tobacco smoke that the mother inhales when smoking. Here, such malformations of its development can be observed, such as complete absence brain or structural disorders. All this will affect mental development crumbs later. According to statistics, it is the children of smoking mothers who study worse at school and learn the school curriculum.
Maternal alcoholism and the placenta
If a pregnant woman consumes alcoholic drinks, it doesn’t matter if it’s beer, vodka or wine, then the fetus develops a condition such as fetal alcohol syndrome.
How the placenta changes with bad habits of the mother
The placenta cannot stop the flow of alcohol to the fetus. Both she herself and the developing human being suffer from this. Except premature detachment placenta in women who drink alcoholic beverages systematically, low attachment of the placenta is detected, which can interfere with childbirth.
In addition, when the mother consumes alcohol, such a pathology as untimely aging of the placenta is also observed. If the aging of the placenta begins to manifest itself before the 30th week of pregnancy, this poses a great threat to the baby - not only premature birth, but also intrauterine death of the fetus can happen here.
In addition, often such a condition as underdevelopment of the placenta. At the same time, again, the child receives little nutrients and oxygen, which means it lags behind in growth and development.
There is evidence that if the mother drank alcohol during pregnancy, then the child already has an addiction to alcohol and as soon as he tries beer or another drink containing alcohol for the first time in his life, an instant addiction of the body occurs. And a person can no longer give up this habit without the help of specialists.
Unfortunately, today doctors in women's consultations And perinatal centers practically do not tell women who are registered for pregnancy about the dangers of smoking and alcoholism. It is believed that during this period of life, the pregnant woman herself should take care of her health.
How the placenta changes with bad habits of the mother
However, few of the fair sex think about the problems that they and their babies will have if they continue to drink and smoke. Many simply believe that trouble will bypass them and rely on chance. But by no means should this be done.
Of course, you can give many examples of how women during pregnancy both smoked and drank, but they still had healthy babies. But even more examples can be given when women with bad habits gave birth to sick children with a variety of malformations.
Drug addiction and pathology of the placenta
If a woman takes drugs during pregnancy, then there is a high probability that the pregnancy will end in a miscarriage.
At these stages, the placenta is not yet formed, but drugs can adversely affect its development in the future. Especially often there are pathologies such as underdevelopment of the placenta and its detachment.
How the placenta changes with bad habits of the mother
In addition, the placenta cannot contain the penetration of all these harmful substances in the body of the fetus, and this in turn causes a huge number of malformations of the child. In addition, there is such a frequent pathology as placenta accreta to the wall of the uterus. After childbirth, such a placenta cannot separate on its own, and for this, doctors have to separate it either by hand or during surgery. And it's always big risk bleeding and the possibility of removing the uterus to save a woman's life.
smoking during pregnancy
Unfortunately, in last years the ranks of smokers are replenished by girls and women. Most likely, fashion is the main reason for this phenomenon. Young women do not even suspect what an expensive retribution awaits them. A woman who smokes is easily recognizable by her gray early wrinkles facial skin, unpleasant hoarse voice, tobacco smell from the mouth. But that's only external manifestations body poisoning. Tobacco causes much more severe damage to the internal organs of a woman, in particular her genital area. Women who smoke are more likely to have menstrual cycle develop various chronic diseases.
Why is smoking dangerous during pregnancy?
It is especially necessary to warn the expectant mother. A woman, especially during pregnancy and breastfeeding, has no right to think only about herself. She is primarily responsible for the child. A pregnant woman needs to know for sure: after each smoked cigarette, he will get a fair share of harmful substances, which means that she puts not only herself, but also the child at risk.
There is evidence that nicotine has a direct toxic effect on the autonomic sympathetic nervous system of the fetus, which is responsible, in particular, for the rhythm of heartbeats. Only a cigarette smoked by a pregnant woman accelerates the heart rate of the fetus and depresses its breathing. And if a pregnant woman smokes 15-25 cigarettes daily throughout her pregnancy, there are already serious changes in the cardiac activity of the unborn child.
The connection of the fetus with the mother's body is carried out through the placenta, which performs respiratory, excretory and many other vital functions. Nutrients and oxygen necessary for its growth and development pass through the placenta into the blood of the fetus. Through it, metabolic products are also removed. Possessing selective permeability, the placenta freely passes what it needs, and what is harmful - delays. However, this ability has its limits.
Nicotine, as experiments have shown, very quickly penetrates through placental barrier and after 5 minutes it is found in the tissues and organs of the fetus. And developing fetus turns out to be more harmful conditions than mother. Studies have found that when a pregnant woman smokes, about 18% of nicotine enters the fetus every minute, and only about 10% is released. As a result, nicotine accumulates in the blood of the fetus. Its level becomes higher than in the mother's blood.
Nicotine enters the fetus and from the amniotic fluid. In those pregnant women who limit themselves to even just two or three cigarettes a day, nicotine is still found in the amniotic fluid. Smoked two or three cigarettes can also contribute to the narrowing of the vessels of the uterus, placenta. Therefore, already 5 seconds after inhaling tobacco smoke, the uteroplacental circulation, the contractile function of the uterus are disturbed, the supply of nutrients and oxygen to the fetus is limited.
All this can lead to miscarriages and premature births, to the death of the fetus and newborn from oxygen deficiency. There is an increased risk of bleeding during pregnancy, placental abruption, and premature rupture membranes.
When smoking during pregnancy, a large amount of carbon monoxide enters the blood of the expectant mother, which forms a dangerous compound carboxyhemoglobin with blood hemoglobin. If a pregnant woman smokes from 10 to 40 cigarettes a day, the level of carboxyhemoglobin in her blood rises from 1 to 8%, and in the blood of the fetus it becomes twice as high. Maternal blood under these conditions delivers oxygen to the tissues of the fetus worse. He literally starts to choke. It has been proven that the simultaneous exposure of a pregnant woman to nicotine, carbon monoxide and other main parts of tobacco smoke leads to chronic hypoxia (oxygen starvation) of the fetus and increases the risk by more than 50%. sudden death newborn.
It is enough for a pregnant woman to smoke 12-13 cigarettes a day from the first days of pregnancy so that the child is born with an extremely low body weight. Hiding its decrease is directly dependent on the number of cigarettes smoked.
A weakened child, born with a low body weight, is less resistant to any adverse effects. Newborn children of smoking mothers get sick more often than children of non-smokers. It is estimated that the probability of getting sick already in the first days of life is 28% higher. And later they are more susceptible to respiratory infections, bronchitis, pneumonia.
Smoking during pregnancy showed that according to English pediatricians from the Bristol Children's Hospital, 1,500 children were born unviable only because their mothers did not deprive themselves of pleasure and did not stop smoking during pregnancy. Every puff it takes future mother, is an acute discomfort for the fetus. And when it is repeated often, the risk of having a sick child increases.
Smoking is also highly unacceptable for a nursing mother. In one liter of women's milk, the content of nicotine can reach 0.5 milligrams, while the lethal dose of this strong poison is 1 milligram per 1 kilogram of a child's weight. Often, children refuse the breast of a smoking mother, which means they are malnourished, sleep poorly, are naughty, and their intestinal activity may be upset. Such babies are usually weak, poorly developed. They are more prone to colds.
Consequences of smoking during pregnancy and the effect of tobacco smoke on the fetus.
Smoking, unfortunately, is the most common bad habit among pregnant women. Despite the health risks of smoking, the percentage of women who smoke in Lately increased significantly. Many women do not think about the fact that smoking during pregnancy is associated with a number of negative effects. The human fetus develops in difficult conditions and relationships both with the mother's body and with environment. The main active ingredient in tobacco is, of course, nicotine. It crosses the placenta so easily that the concentration of this substance in the fetus is often higher than in the blood of his mother. When smoking cigarettes, cigarettes, pipes or cigars, many dangerous substances enter the respiratory tract - carbon monoxide, benzpyrene, and even radioactive isotopes. Part of the toxic products (for example, thiocyanate) is formed in the body of the mother and fetus during the decay of tobacco ingredients. All this immediately interferes with the process prenatal development and has a negative effect on it.
World statistics acquaints us with the following figures: in the United States, 55% of women smoke at the beginning of pregnancy, and 25% continue to smoke until the end of pregnancy. In Switzerland, 42% smoke at the beginning of pregnancy, and 33% smoke until the end. In Australia, 40% smoke in the first trimester and 33% continue to smoke until delivery. In the Czech Republic, 24.3% of women smoke at the beginning of pregnancy, and 18% of women smoke until the end. In Ukraine every fifth woman smokes; over the past 20 years, the stratum of smokers female population Ukraine increased by 4 times. In Russia, 50% of women smoke during pregnancy. On average, according to statistics in the world, from 25 to 50% of women continue to smoke during pregnancy as actively as before. Only 15% of women who smoke completely gave up this addiction before the planned pregnancy.
Observation of pregnant women who abuse tobacco showed that placental abruption occurs in them with a frequency of 7.5–8.3%, which is approximately twice as high as in those who do not smoke; placenta previa - from 2.4 to 3%, which is 1.5 times more common than in non-smokers.
Women who smoke one or more packs of cigarettes a day have a miscarriage rate 1.5 times higher than non-smokers. And if smoking is also combined with alcohol consumption, the risk of miscarriage increases by 4.5 times. Premature discharge of amniotic fluid was noted in 9-11%, which is 1.5 times more common than in non-smokers, and premature birth for up to 32 weeks, there are 2 times more than in the group of women who do not suffer from this addiction.
Mothers who smoke have a higher incidence vaginal bleeding. Also in the second half of pregnancy in women who smoke, toxicosis is more common. Very often, pregnant women have a variety of changes in the placenta, which are directly related to smoking: the weight of the placenta is below normal; the placenta is thinner, has more round shape; ultrastructural changes take place; disturbance of placental blood flow is observed.
Spasm occurs after a mother smokes a cigarette blood vessels placenta, and the fetus is in a state of mild oxygen starvation for several minutes. With regular smoking during pregnancy, the fetus is in a state of chronic oxygen deficiency almost constantly. The consequence of this is intrauterine growth retardation, its frequency is from 4.2 to 5.2%, which is twice as high as in those who do not smoke. Due to the peculiarities of fetal blood flow, 40–60% of toxic substances entering the fetal body pass to the heart and different fabrics without undergoing prior detoxification in the liver. In addition, the fetus, due to the low activity of enzymatic systems, has a reduced detoxification function of the liver. Therefore, even a slight exposure to the toxic components of tobacco smoke can cause a violation of the intrauterine development of a child. Admission chemical substances from mother to fetus through the placenta depends on placental transport and metabolism. Also, toxic substances in tobacco smoke affect the ability of the placenta to pass nutrients. Nicotine inhibits not only the capture of placental amino acids, but also their transport to the fetus. This is due to the effect on the placental cholinergic system. Nicotine blocks cholinergic receptors and makes impossible the influence of acetylcholine, which enhances transport through the placenta. By interfering with the release of acetylcholine and disrupting placental blood flow, the listed substances can impede the diffusion of amino acids and other nutrients from the side of the trophoblast, that is, the maternal vessels, towards the placental vessels. It has been proven that the weight of newborn children from smoking mothers is on average 200 g lower than that of children whose mothers did not smoke.
Watch the movie Smoking. Women's mistake"
Tobacco smoking leads to circulatory disorders in the body and is the main cause of partial blockage of blood flow to the child's brain. This can lead to the birth of a baby with congenital anomalies. nervous system and mental disorders. According to the results of some studies, it is believed that there is a relationship between smoking and the birth of mentally handicapped children with Down's disease. Women who smoke are at risk of giving birth to an overly excitable child with symptoms of hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder. Impulsiveness and increased irritability are characteristic of these children already at an early age, their level of intellectual development is below average. Smoking during pregnancy reduces plasma and erythrocyte folate levels, and in pregnant smokers, even with normal intake of folic acid, its content in the body is reduced to such concentrations that create a risk of development of closure defects in the newborn neural tube(spina bifida). It has also been proven that the effect of nicotine on the brain of a child during prenatal period makes him more likely to smoke in adulthood.
The fetus receives nicotine not only directly from the mother's blood, it is also able to be absorbed through the skin and gastrointestinal tract of the fetus from the amniotic fluid (amniotic fluid). Such an intake is possible in children whose mothers suffer from passive smoking, as evidenced by the presence of nicotine in the hair of newborns. It was revealed that 80% of women are passive smokers, and 50% grew up with smoking parents. A large number of nonsmoking women are exposed to tobacco smoke at work or at home. But pregnant women should try to avoid places where smokers gather if possible. Even after the birth of a child, smoking will be dangerous: it is unlikely that the baby will benefit if he inhales the smoke. In addition, the level of the syndrome of sudden infant death in children of smoking mothers, on average, 30% higher than in children of non-smokers. The mortality of twins is especially high in women who smoke.
Mothers who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to continue smoking after the baby is born, and the brain-affecting effects of nicotine will come from breastfeeding and breathing indoor air. This means the risk of secondhand smoke in an infant. The fat content of breast milk in mothers who smoke is usually low. Nicotine is able to penetrate the mammary glands in pregnant and lactating women, which is why they have insufficient milk production, as a result, the mother ends breastfeeding very early.
Babies born to mothers who smoke are more susceptible to disease respiratory tract, to respiratory diseases and are much more likely to get diabetes or obesity. Doctors from Karolinska University proved that the risk of diabetes increased by 4.1 times if a pregnant woman smoked up to 10 cigarettes a day, but if the amount was 10 or more cigarettes, then the risk increased by 4.5 times. And the risk of obesity in children was 34-38% higher compared to those whose mothers did not smoke.
Thus, maternal smoking is a risk to mother and child. Smoking during pregnancy increases the likelihood of its adverse completion by almost 2 times. Therefore, the sooner the expectant mother gets rid of this bad habit, the better it will be for both. But even if the mother stops smoking in the last month of pregnancy, the benefits for her and for the child will be palpable.
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their use can only be carried out by the attending physician. Be sure to consult your doctor.
Is it true that the placenta protects the baby from tobacco smoke?
In one of the books about pregnancy, I read that the placenta protects the baby from cigarettes. Is it true or not?
Absolutely wrong. Smoking provokes hypoxia in the fetus, changes in the vessels of the placenta. In addition, a newborn from a mother who actively smoked during pregnancy often has nicotine addiction - a classic withdrawal syndrome after birth. So there is no question of any protection - the information is simply false.
No. The placenta nourishes the fetus. And there is a barrier function of the placenta, which protects it from various chemicals that enter the mother's body. You can't hide from everything. If a woman is not an active smoker, it often happens that she is a passive smoker. And in such situations, the barrier function saves. However, the placenta is not strong enough to cope with all the harmful things that enter the mother's body. If a woman starts smoking during pregnancy (especially in the first trimester), then it is very likely that the child will be born with a pathology.
Bad habits and pregnancy: alcohol, nicotine, drugs
You have habits that both your body and your child will adapt to.
Three cups of coffee during the day, a glass of wine with dinner. But like it or not, something needs to change. Of course, you don’t want to give up something that gave you so much pleasure, like a double latte at noon, but during pregnancy you need to play by the rules. You probably know the main suspects: caffeine, alcohol, tobacco and drugs. It is good that for many women pregnancy is the strongest stimulus to get rid of bad habits.
Every pregnant woman wants to have a baby healthy child. There is hardly a reader who will not be pleased with the message that she herself can do a lot for the normal development of her baby. By giving up alcohol and nicotine for the coming months, eating well and moving a lot, you create optimal starting conditions for your child.
caffeine during pregnancy
During pregnancy, it is best to avoid caffeine altogether. IN last resort limit consumption. The results of studies are varied, but in general it turns out that no more than 200 mg per day - about two cups of coffee - does not harm either the mother or the child.
However, large doses of caffeine - more than 500 mg daily - five or more cups of coffee - are no longer harmless. Regular consumption of such doses can reduce the birth weight of the baby and impair blood circulation in the brain. Low weight makes it difficult for an infant to keep normal temperature body and necessary blood sugar levels, which can lead to other problems.
Keep in mind that caffeine isn't just coffee. Tea, carbonated drinks, cocoa, chocolate also contain caffeine. To reduce your caffeine intake, it's best to switch to decaffeinated drinks. Hot drinks can be drunk faster. If you drink a cup of tea in a minute instead of several, you will only get half the caffeine).
For many modern women the day really begins only after they put the first cup of coffee on the table in front of them. But we have to disappoint you: from the moment of pregnancy, this invigorating drink should be treated much more carefully than usual. The results of recent studies conducted at Yale University have shown that drinking coffee, even in small quantities (just two cups a day!) Can have a negative effect on the fetus.
Data from a British study suggests that coffee drinkers give birth to children with a weight that does not reach the average. Two cups of coffee a day reduces the birth weight of a baby by about 70 g. The same applies to the use of black tea, cola and dark chocolate - they also have caffeine! For comparison: one cup of coffee of this substance contains from 30 to 100 mg, one espresso - approximately 40 mg, one cup of black tea - up to 50 mg. The caffeine content in 100 g of tea leaves is higher than in the same amount of roasted coffee beans. As part of a bar of milk chocolate, you can find 15 mg, in a package of bitter chocolate - up to 90 mg of caffeine. Within just 45 minutes, this harmful substance almost completely enters the bloodstream and penetrates through the placenta to the baby. Since caffeine also interferes with the absorption of iron, calcium, and vitamin C, you should never drink caffeinated beverages immediately after a meal.
Alcohol during pregnancy
If you drink alcoholic beverages, so does your child. It doesn't matter if it's beer, wine or anything else. Alcohol passes from your blood through the placenta to your baby. The systematic use of alcohol during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth. The child may also be born abnormal.
Fetal alcohol syndrome is the most serious problem caused by excessive alcohol consumption. It can lead to birth defects such as facial deformity, heart disease, low weight at birth and mental retardation. In children born with alcohol syndrome, there may also be problems with growth, disturbances in attention, behavior and learning difficulties.
If you are planning a pregnancy, it is best to stop drinking beforehand. Alcohol can harm the fetus early stages pregnancy, when you may not even know you're pregnant yet. In addition, alcohol reduces the content of folic acid in the body.
After the baby is born, small doses of alcohol can pass into breast milk and be passed to the baby during feeding. Therefore, during the feeding period, it is better to refrain from drinking alcohol.
Alcohol is harmful to the unborn child. This fact is undeniable. It has not yet been clarified whether there is any acceptable dose of alcohol consumption by pregnant women. Women who regularly consumed alcoholic beverages during pregnancy often have healthy babies without obvious pathologies. Conversely, children with severe defects are born to mothers who, when pregnant, allowed themselves alcohol only in very small quantities. Along with the dose of alcohol, the stage of development at which this moment the embryo or fetus is located. There are periods when the baby's brain is especially susceptible to the negative effects of harmful substances; there are also moments when their impact almost does not harm the child. But since these periods of development are not amenable to exact definition It is best to avoid alcohol completely.
The components of alcoholic beverages freely cross the placenta to the baby. The cells of the child's body that are in the process of growth can suffer even more damage than the cells of the mother. In addition, the level of alcohol in the body of the fetus remains elevated longer. The baby excretes alcohol through the kidneys into the amniotic fluid. But the most a big problem consists in the fact that he swallows it again, as he constantly drinks amniotic fluid. It turns out that alcohol enters the child's body several times in a row.
The use of alcohol during pregnancy is considered the most frequent and at the same time the most easily eliminated cause of the pathological development of the child, both physical and mental. The use of alcohol by the expectant mother can lead to delayed psychomotor and intellectual development child. This in turn can lead to learning difficulties and attention disorders. All this can happen even with the use of small doses of alcohol. Fortunately, if you only drank once during your entire pregnancy, before serious violations with difficult to eliminate consequences, it will not come. Especially if it happened when you still did not know anything about your pregnancy. In this case, you don't have to worry.
Tobacco during pregnancy
Smoking is also dangerous for you and for the baby. Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of preterm birth, stillbirth, low birth weight and sudden death of the newborn.
Cigarette smoke contains literally thousands of hazardous substances. Two in particular - carbon monoxide and nicotine - can reduce the oxygen supply to the fetus. In addition, nicotine, which increases the pulse and pressure and constricts blood vessels, reduces the supply of nutrients to the child. It is best to quit smoking before pregnancy. This will help you give up bad habits for good, even after the birth of a child. It is also wise to stay away from other smokers. Chronic exposure to tobacco smoke can cause health problems for your child.
It's never too late to quit smoking! Even if you stop smoking only towards the end of your pregnancy, it will reduce the harmful effects on your baby.
Nicotine during pregnancy
Nicotine impairs the blood supply to the placenta. As a result, the child receives less vital nutrients and oxygen. Besides, children's body poisoned by poisonous carbon monoxide. Whether the mother smokes herself or is simply among other smokers does not play a significant role. Cigarette smoke contains approximately 4,000 toxic, cancer-causing substances, including arsenic, benzene, hydrocyanic acid, lead, cadmium, carbon monoxide, and tar. These toxic substances through the placenta freely enter the child's circulatory system and directly affect him.
Today, the consequences of intensive maternal smoking are already known: a greatly reduced birth weight of the child, increased risk sudden infant death, child hyperactivity, learning difficulties in school age. Until recently, the risk associated with underweight newborns has been clearly underestimated. Now it is known for certain that children who were born with a small weight and quickly gained it in the first weeks of life, in adulthood are prone to fullness with all the ensuing consequences. dangerous consequences. The risk of developing allergies and asthma in children of smoking mothers is 30% higher. In addition, it is likely that in the future the child will become a smoker himself. After giving birth, smoking is still dangerous for the baby. Allergies, asthma and even sudden infant death can be associated with the presence of smokers in the baby's immediate environment.
Pregnancy is a good motivation to cut down on the number of cigarettes you smoke per day or quit smoking altogether. If necessary, a nicotine patch can be used to stop smoking during pregnancy. With its help, at least, it will be possible to prevent hypoxia (insufficient oxygen saturation of the blood).
Drugs during pregnancy
All drugs are dangerous for a child. Absolutely everything, from marijuana to cocaine, heroin, methadone and so on, all club and street drugs!
If you are pregnant, the drugs you take are passed on to your baby. This will affect the development of the fetus, and then the future of your child. There may also be fetal death or signs of underdevelopment in the newborn, which can lead to his death!
Give up soda!
Even if you really like drinks like tonic or lemonade, you'd be smarter not to. Quinine, contained in their composition in large quantities, can adversely affect the development of the child. One manifestation of this influence may be reduced birth weight. So drink better mineral water, diluted juices or herbal tea.
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There are a lot of happy stories about how women who smoke quit smoking just after learning about pregnancy. The desire not to harm the child outweighed the craving for nicotine. Doctors explain such a “miracle” by the high motivation of the expectant mother, and she necessary condition to fight any addiction.
But not everyone is so lucky. Some find it difficult to give up cigarettes, some are afraid of the stress of nicotine withdrawal, and some see no reason to stop at all.
Littlevan, together with experts, figured out whether pregnancy and smoking are really incompatible, how best to part with a bad habit for an expectant mother: abruptly or gradually?
Whatever supporters of the “stress theory” say, doctors are unanimous: you need to quit smoking! Nothing will harm the baby more than nicotine and hundreds of other substances that enter the mother's body with tobacco smoke.
Mom's addiction has a lot negative consequences for the health of the future baby. They begin even before conception - with the effects of tobacco smoke on maturing sex cells. increases by 4.5 times, and, sometimes, at such an early stage when a woman does not have time to understand that she is pregnant.
In the future, all systems of the developing organism, and primarily the cardiovascular system, fall under attack. Suffer, in particular, the vessels of the placenta, the child receives less oxygen. All this leads to an increase in the risk of miscarriages, the birth of premature and underweight children, in the future - to respiratory diseases, bronchial asthma, congenital pathologies of cardio-vascular system, developmental disorders of the brain.
Smoking mother sometimes leads to defective development of the testicles in the son. It can also cause such congenital anomalies, How cleft lip, wolf mouth, horse foot. The lack of vitamins B and C, which are worse absorbed due to bad habits, is fraught with disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system.
You can find such information that in women who smoke, changes occur in the structure of the DNA of the embryo. Does smoking affect genetics?
Egor Prikhodko, chief physician MC "Pokrovsky":
“As a rule, nicotine has a negative effect only on general development fetus, a. Such children are born weak, get sick more often, then lag behind in physical development from their peers. Maternal smoking increases the risk of miscarriage and bleeding, as well as stillbirth. Therefore, of course, it is better to give up nicotine. This will positively affect both the health of the baby and the well-being of the mother.
There is an opinion that it is already too late to give up cigarettes during pregnancy - the consequences of stress can block the harm from smoking.
Nadezhda Spitsyna, pulmonologist at the SM-Clinic medical center:
“In theory, smoking should be quit at the stage of pregnancy planning. And not a day before conception, but at least a few months. This will help the body cleanse itself of the negative factors of tobacco smoke. If the news of pregnancy was unexpected for you, then you need to quit smoking immediately. Really, abrupt rejection from habit can provoke for a while stressful condition. But not for long and not very strong. It is important to remember that only the most prompt smoking cessation will help avoid pregnancy complications and health problems for the unborn child.
They say that there may still be stress due to feelings of guilt towards the unborn child. It is more dangerous than the one that occurs when you quit smoking.
Yulia Yanchevskaya, obstetrician-gynecologist, gynecologist-endocrinologist at the ABIA clinic:
“A smoker may experience chronic stress due to feelings of guilt towards an unborn child. At such a moment, it is important for a woman to think about the child, but not to intimidate herself, not to set her up for serious breaking. There is some ideal situation to strive for. But if you don’t succeed in achieving it, it’s not scary - at whatever point you stop smoking, there will still be benefits.
Ideally, you need to stop before conception, preferably six months before. If the pregnancy is unexpected, you should quit, again ideally, immediately and without the use of nicotine replacement drugs. But if it doesn’t work out, then gradual cessation of smoking and the use of special means after consulting a doctor.
What diseases are typical for children of parents who smoke?
Elena Usova, pediatrician at VIRILIS Group:
“As an allergist-immunologist with thirty years of experience in pediatrics, I can say that very often, in almost 60-70% of cases, one of the parents smoked in children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. 50% with bronchial asthma also at least one parent is prone to this habit. And usually these children had a severe degree of illness and disability. My personal opinion: you need to stop smoking as soon as you know about the birth of a new life. All the talk about giving up gradually, or even just reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke, is a reason to prolong the imaginary pleasure for the mother, and in the meantime, for the baby, contact with the poison continues.
Unfortunately, lately, we are seeing more and more pregnant women with a cigarette in their hands, or husbands of pregnant women smoking. This is very dangerous, both for the fetus and for the health of the nation as a whole. After all, the detrimental effect on the fetus is not limited to the biological activity of nicotine. It is also important that in the process of smoking a huge amount of cigarette combustion products contained in tobacco smoke. Most of them are toxic, including teratogenic (causing deformities in the fetus).
And, before talking about the effect of nicotine on the development of the fetus, it should be clarified that the fertility (possibility of conception) in women is reduced compared to non-smoking potential mothers. So, in one of the Western studies, it was found that the ability of this in women who smoke 20 cigarettes a day is approximately 70% of a similar group of non-smokers.
The effect of nicotine on fetal development
Most more value in the formation of pathologies of the fetus has its hypoxia. Three main factors lead to it, these are: the presence of carboxyhemoglobin in the blood of a smoking woman, impaired uteroplacental blood flow due to vascular dystonia, placental insufficiency as a result of placental trophic pathology.
Carboxyhemoglobin is a compound of carbon monoxide and hemoglobin. It forms very quickly, is hardly destroyed, and is difficult to remove. Almost always in minimum quantities contained in the blood of residents of megacities. But its content healthy body goes clinically unnoticed.
But in smokers (especially those living in the same megacities), the content of carboxyhemoglobin can approach critical, causing typical signs poisoning: dizziness, nausea, fainting, increased mortality. This is due to the fact that even a small amount of carbon monoxide turns hemoglobin (oxygen transport) into carboxyhemoglobin, which “cannot” deliver oxygen to cells.
Under these conditions, hypoxia is not long in coming - that is, a decrease in the level of oxygen in the body of a smoking mother and, as a result, a child. At the same time, pathologies of the placenta and uteroplacental blood flow are formed, due to the vascular action of nicotine.
The result of this is the formation of vasological disorders in the fetus: vascular stenosis, an increase in the speed of blood flow in the vessels of the umbilical cord (which reduces both oxygen supply and nutrition of the fetus). The fetus increases the frequency of respiratory movements, heart contractions.
At the same time, fetal movements become more frequent, but at the same time periods of calm increase - the child either spins from a lack of oxygen, then, tired, calms down for a long time, reducing the level of vital activity. All this affects the physical and mental development fetus, including the vascular and cardiac system, the brain.
Malformations caused by smoking
The question of whether smoking can cause fetal abnormalities remains open. An increased frequency of congenital malformations (in particular "" and "" and their combinations) has been established in children of smoking mothers, but the reason for this lies in nicotine or the components of tobacco smoke - it has not been clarified. However, the connection between deformities and smoking can be clearly traced.
Nicotine easily crosses the placental barrier, accumulates in the amniotic fluid and the placenta, causing disorders in the fetus that are typical of the effect of nicotine on the body of a smoker.
First of all, it is the neurotoxic activity of nicotine, and as a result, its pathological effect on the brain tissue of the fetus. Chronic poisoning of the fetus with nicotine leads to an increase in the frequency of perinatal mortality - at gestation periods after 22 weeks and up to the seventh day of life of the born child.
We can definitely say that low birth weight, vascular disorders, intrauterine hypoxia, dysfunctions of the brain and nervous system (tearfulness, capriciousness, a slight lag in physical and mental development, and a further decrease in mental and mnestic functions) in children - all this is the result of mother smoking.
conclusions
Doctors and scientists believe that the complex negative impact nicotine on a pregnant woman and her fetus can be called "". Obstetricians and pediatricians, neuropathologists and cardiologists speak out for the introduction of this concept.
At many pediatric and obstetric forums, presentations and reports by scientists and practitioners clearly prove that mother's smoking greatly increases the risk of giving birth to children with a variety of pathologies, which can be expressed both in mild and very severe forms.
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Even a few cigarettes a day can have a negative effect on the placenta and fetus. Chronic FPI, which occurs against the background of smoking, is the main cause of pathology in a child and a complicated pregnancy.
Smoking woman makes child smoke
Smoking women - statistics
Around 250 million women around the world smoke, most of whom live in the developed countries of the European continent. Among pregnant women, at least 13% do not hide their bad habit (but another 20% deceive the doctor): we can safely say that a third (30-35%) of pregnant women continue to smoke during pregnancy. Some of them give up cigarettes for the period of gestation, but there are very few of them (no more than 5-7% of all). In addition to active inhalation of tobacco smoke, passive smoking is unfavorable for pregnant women (up to 50-55% of pregnant women inhale smoke at home). The statistics are sad - a huge number of women at the time of conception and while carrying a child, consciously or unconsciously face harmful influence tobacco. Developing chronic FPI (feto-placental insufficiency) leads to the formation of various options fetopathy due to disruption of the placenta.
Chronic FPI - the effect of smoking on the placenta
Tobacco smoke contains about 5,000 different chemical compounds, some of which are carcinogenic. The vast majority of harmful substances penetrate the placenta to the fetus, simultaneously having a negative effect on the tissues of the fetal site. The most unpleasant thing about smoking is that even 1-5 cigarettes a day can provoke pathology: chronic FPI occurs in all cases of smoking in pregnant women, even if a woman has reduced the number of cigarettes smoked to a minimum.
Nicotine is excreted from the blood within 2-2.5 hours. After the last cigarette smoked, a decrease in concentration by 75% occurs only after 6-8 hours. The effect of nicotine on the fetus and placenta continues even when the woman does not inhale tobacco smoke.
There are the following negative effects on placental tissue when smoking during pregnancy:
- Violation of blood circulation at the level of mother-placenta-fetus;
- Increased blood flow in the middle cerebral artery The child has;
- Reduced oxygen delivery to the baby due to the toxic effect on blood hemoglobin;
- An increase in the mass, diameter and thickness of the placenta (the deterioration in the supply of nutrients and oxygen is compensated by the size of the fetal site);
- A significant decrease in small vessels (the length and number of capillaries) through which the exchange between mother and fetus takes place.
In most cases, chronic FPI caused by smoking leads to the formation.
Complicated pregnancy
Vascular disorders and chronic FPI negatively affect both - the baby and future mother. A pregnant woman who smokes is at risk for the following complications:
- Intrauterine fetal death;
- Gestational diabetes mellitus;
- Early or late miscarriage;
- premature birth;
- Uterine bleeding in premature pregnancy;
- The birth of a small and immature child;
- High risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
On the scales, unequal factors - bad habit and two lives: Unfortunately, most pregnant women prefer smoking to their health and the life of their baby.
Chronic FPI: main placental disorders in smoking
Placental tissue will always react to the harmful factors of smoking, so do not be naive to believe that there will be nothing terrible from a couple of cigarettes. Chronic FPI is realized through the following placental disorders:
- Increased risk of incorrect location of the placenta ();
- Possible ingrowth of placental tissue into the wall of the uterus (true increment);
- Detachment of the fetal site with bleeding;
- Change in the quality and quantity of amniotic fluid;
- Untimely rupture of membranes with discharge of water in an immature child.
Some women allow smoking during pregnancy, they do not even think about how the tobacco smoke they inhale affects the child. Such ladies believe that the opinion of doctors about the dangers of smoking is too exaggerated. After all, many pregnant women who smoke give birth to outwardly perfectly healthy children. But behind external well-being often hide serious pathologies, the effects of many of which are not immediately reflected. The effect of nicotine on the baby's body is often delayed in time. There are many cases where maternal smoking during pregnancy negatively affected the development of the child a few years after his birth.
Why is tobacco smoke dangerous?
Tobacco smoke, which is regularly inhaled by a pregnant woman, contains about four thousand different harmful substances. All of them negatively affect the body of a woman.
The main component of tobacco smoke is nicotine. It is a nerve poison that instantly enters the bloodstream and spreads throughout the body with the bloodstream. Nicotine accumulates in tissues and organs, having a devastating effect on them.
Carbon monoxide damages hemoglobin, causing it to lose its ability to carry oxygen to cells. In the body of a smoker, chronic oxygen starvation develops. Nitric oxide contained in tobacco smoke inhibits hemoglobin and affects the lung tissue, causing pulmonary edema. Hydrogen cyanide works the same way. Nitric oxide and hydrogen cyanide increase oxygen starvation.
Among the components of tobacco smoke are radioactive substances. The most dangerous is polonium 210. It accumulates in the body mainly in the tissues of the liver and kidneys, forming local foci of exposure. Polonium 210 affects the reproductive cells of the fetus (more often female). Smoking during pregnancy makes it impossible for the unborn child to have children of their own. Radioactive substances contained in tobacco smoke provoke the degeneration of cells into malignant ones.
Toxic substances in tobacco smoke oxidize the "bad" cholesterol contained in the smoker's blood, causing it to "stick" to the walls of blood vessels. Therefore, smokers often suffer from cardiovascular vascular diseases. A woman who smokes can pass on a tendency to develop atherosclerosis to her children. New research has shown a link between a woman's smoking during pregnancy and early development atherosclerotic processes in their children. Pregnancy and smoking don't mix.
The effect of nicotine on the fetus in the first trimester
From this moment on, the intensively developing fetus is affected by the tobacco smoke inhaled by the expectant mother. In the first trimester of pregnancy, the fetus is very vulnerable. The placenta protecting it will form in a few weeks, and its own the immune system fetus will develop even later. Harmful substances penetrating the blood of a smoking woman enter the bloodstream to the fetus and poison it. He can die from intoxication, and the pregnant woman will have a miscarriage. On such early term a woman may not even realize that she has lost a child.
If the baby managed to survive, he will develop under the influence of numerous toxic substances contained in tobacco smoke. The first trimester of pregnancy is the most important. Over the course of twelve weeks, all organs and systems will form in the unborn child. During this period, it is very, the consequences of which can be fatal. Toxic components of tobacco smoke can cause serious pathologies and developmental disorders of the main vital important organs and systems.
Congenital heart defects in children born to women who smoked during pregnancy are diagnosed twice as often compared to babies of parents who do not have a bad habit.
Smoking during pregnancy can cause a fertilized egg to anchor in the lower part of the uterus. This position of the placenta, which will eventually appear at the implantation site gestational sac, is dangerous. The growing placenta can completely cover the cervical os. In this case natural childbirth impossible. A low-lying placenta can cause dangerous bleeding and premature termination of pregnancy.
Effects of smoking in the second trimester
In the second trimester, the fetus is protected by the placenta. At this stage of development, the child already has its own immune system. However, such methods of protection cannot protect the baby from exposure to harmful compounds of tobacco smoke inhaled by his mother. They easily cross the placenta and accumulate in the baby's blood. The concentration of one of the most dangerous components of tobacco smoke - carbon monoxide - in the blood of the fetus is twice the level in the circulatory system of the mother. This is due to the fact that the entry of harmful substances into the blood of the baby occurs faster than their removal.
The liver and kidneys of the fetus are under extreme stress. They try in vain to neutralize the incoming toxic substances. Such tests cause dystrophic changes in the tissues of these organs.
Under the influence of toxins, the rate of calcium deposition decreases, as a result of which the growth of the baby's bones slows down.
Smoking during pregnancy causes generalized vasospasm. During each such spasm, organ cells receive less nutrients and oxygen. A woman who smokes has spasms on a regular basis. Therefore, oxygen starvation develops in her body and a deficiency of essential nutrients occurs. Similar processes occur in the body of the fetus. In conditions of lack of proteins, minerals and vitamins necessary for development, children cannot develop normally. As a result, babies are born with small heads, reduced heart sizes, and reduced weight and height. Smoking can negatively affect their psycho-emotional development.
Constantly occurring vasospasm can lead to the development placental insufficiency, in which the body can not perform its functions in full. The placenta does not supply nutrients to the fetus and does not remove its waste products in full. Due to chronic nutritional deficiency, the fetus may die.
Fatal tobacco exposure in the third trimester
On recent months During pregnancy, all organs and systems of a woman function in an enhanced mode. The enlarged uterus compresses internal organs and change their usual location. Exposure to tobacco smoke is especially dangerous for organs under extreme operating conditions. Smoking during pregnancy can provoke the appearance of late toxicosis (gestosis). With absence medical care preeclampsia can lead to death.
The critical condition that occurs during pregnancy in a smoking woman negatively affects her health.
She is developing serious illness cardiovascular and digestive systems.
