Smoking and pregnancy: health effects and state of the art in interventions promoting cessation

Tobacco consumption is increasing among women, particularly among women who are in their fertile years, which means that the already high percentage of pregnant smokers is going to rise even more in the next few years. Low birth weight, pregnancy complications, fertility problems, and infant morbidity are but a few of the adverse outcomes experienced by pregnant and postpartum women and infants that result from cigarette smoking. So pregnancy may be an ideal time to intervene with smoking women who cannot quit by themselves. Smoking treatments that focus on this period are effective, especially when they are multicomponent, use materials designed for pregnant women and are delivered by trained professionals. Assessing the degree of addiction and tailoring counselling for cessation according to the woman’s stage of change may enhance success. Learning about the risk factors for pre- and post-partum relapse may also help to introduce components in the smoking interventions that promote long term abstinence.