Smoking linked to newborn heart defects

09 Apr 2008

Expectant mothers who continue to smoke during the initial stages of pregnancy put their baby at higher risk of being born with heart defects, a new study has found.

Research funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that women who smoke anytime during the month before pregnancy to the end of the first trimester were more likely to give birth to infants with congenital heart defects.

Dr Margaret Honein, CDC's National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, said: "Most people know that smoking causes cancer, heart disease and other major health problems. The indisputable fact is that women who smoke during pregnancy put themselves and their unborn babies at risk for other health problems."

According to the study, septal heart defects – a hole in the heart between the left and right heart chambers, which disrupts the flow of blood and oxygen to the body – were the most common problem found among infants who were born with a cardiac defect.

In addition, smoking can make it more difficult for a woman to conceive as well as increasing the likelihood of premature birth.

Discuss this item in our forums

Like this? Subscribe to RSS feed!

---

	Related news
	Veggie men 'find it harder to conceive' » 30th birthday of world's first IVF baby celebrated » Study: 4 coffees a day reduce fertility by 26% » Men 'less fertile' after 35 » Ulrika: You can't ignore broodiness » All news »