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Updated: Jul 2, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Use of nicotine replacement therapy during pregnancy and stillbirth: a cohort study
K Strandberg-Larsen1, M Tinggaard, A-M Nybo Andersen
1National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen K, Denmark. kal@niph.dk
Objective:
The objective of this study was to examine whether the use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) during pregnancy increases the risk of stillbirth.
Design:
Cohort study with prospective data.
Setting:
Denmark 1996-2002.
Population:
A total of 87,032 singleton pregnancies enrolled in the Danish National Birth Cohort for which information on NRT use as well as smoking was available.
Methods:
Outcome of pregnancy was identified by register linkage, with <1% loss to follow up. We conducted Cox regression analyses to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% CI of stillbirth according to the use of NRT, type of NRT use and a combination of NRT use and smoking.
Main Outcome Measures:
Stillbirth, defined as delivery of a dead fetus after 20 completed weeks of gestation.
Results:
A total of 495 pregnancies (5.7 in 1000 births) ended in stillbirth, 8 of which were among NRT users (4.2 in 1000 births). After adjustment for confounders, women who used NRT during pregnancy had a HR of 0.57 (95% CI 0.28-1.16) for stillbirth compared with those who did not use NRT. Smoking during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of stillbirth (HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.17-1.82), while women who both smoked and used NRT had a HR of 0.83 (95% CI 0.34-2.00) compared with nonsmoking women who did not use NRT.
Conclusion:
Our study does not indicate that use of NRT during pregnancy increases the risk of stillbirth.
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