[Relation between smoking in reproductive-age women and disorders in reproduction]

In a retrospective anamnestic study a total of 3180 women teachers from primary schools in seven districts of the Czech Republic with a different incidence of statistically recorded reproductive disorders were examined. A professionally and socially homogeneous group was selected on purpose to standardize to a maximum extent exposure to detectable and undetectable risk factors and confounding factors in the working environment and living conditions. The respondents were classified according to their statements on smoking habits up to the age of 45 years, which was taken as the reproductive period. Although the majority of smokers belonged into the group of mild smokers with a mean consumption of 10 cigarettes per day, in this group significantly more frequent heavy menstrual bleeding, early and spontaneous abortions, deliveries of premature infants and infants born in term but with a low birthweight were recorded. Smokers had significantly more often induced abortions of unwanted pregnancies in the case-history as compared with non-smokers. After elimination of women who by the time of the survey had never been pregnant yet, heavy smokers, as compared with non-smokers had a more than twofold risk as regards difficulty to become pregnant, of spontaneous abortions, deliveries of premature infants: there was an almost double risk of delivery of a low birthweight infant even among medium heavy smokers.