The consequences of tobacco use during pregnancy – effective strategies for quitting smoking while expecting a child
Kacper Nowak
2026-03-23
4 min. read
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Tobacco has been present in Europe since the 15th century, and its consumption through smoking has evolved into a worldwide public health concern. The most recent reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that approximately 1.1 billion individuals currently smoke regularly, meaning that this issue affects one in three people over the age of fifteen.[1] Among pregnant women—both globally and in Poland—cigarette smoking remains the most prevalent addiction. Statistical data reveal that nearly one-fifth of expectant mothers (around 20%) continue to smoke during pregnancy, while as many as 60% are exposed to secondhand smoke—unintentionally inhaling tobacco smoke from their surroundings. Research suggests that daily exposure to environmental tobacco smoke may be comparably harmful to the woman herself smoking one cigarette per day.[2]
Smoking while pregnant
Recently, many studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of exposure of pregnant women to tobacco smoke. Tobacco exposure has a negative effect on a woman's body and thus the development of the fetus. It also affects the later health of the newborn and the baby. Smoked cigarettes contain more than 4 thousand toxic substances. About 40 of them have been identified as carcinogenic substances.[1] Among the toxic substances most commonly mentioned are nicotine, carbon dioxide, which can lead to starvation, nitric oxide, which will be active gases, strongly suppressing respiratory pathways, which blocks many enzymes, and cancers.[3]
The effects of smoking in pregnancy
Smoking tobacco during pregnancy can affect fetal intrauterine development as well as the birth weight of the baby. It is caused by the presence of carbon dioxide in tobacco smoke. Because it is bound to haemoglobin, it can reduce the availability of oxygen to the fetus. Additionally, nicotine contributes to narrowing of blood vessels by restricting blood flow through the placenta. At lower birth weight babies also have an effect on the presence in the smoke of cyanide, which affects the metabolism of foetal oxide.
How do you quit smoking when you're pregnant?
Some women who used to smoke regularly from the very beginning of their pregnancy stop smoking cigarettes. If you realize how much tobacco smoke affects the health of the baby. In their case, it's not hard to quit smoking. Problems arise when the addiction is strong, and the future mother doesn't reject the smell and taste of cigarettes at all. Effective smoking cessation is much easier when the woman has a strong motivation. So if you realize the impact of cigarette smoke on the health and well-being of the child.