Smoking during pregnancy--a challenge to practitioners

Smoking during pregnancy is a common finding among women whose parents have been smokers, among those whose husbands are smokers, among women who smoked more than 10 cigarettes per day before they became pregnant, and women who started to smoke at an early age. Smoking while pregnant is dangerous to both mother and child. Smoking exposure risks such as infertility (both primary and secondary), bleeding during pregnancy, abruptio placentae, placenta praevia, premature rupture of membranes, premature birth, low birth weight newborns, sudden infant death syndrome are taken into consideration. Efficient smoking cessation interventions targeting pregnancy impose, as many women are not aware of dangers of tobacco exposure. Smoking cessation medical aid consists of immediate recommendation to stop smoking, counselling, behavioural therapy and self-helping educational materials.