Vaping During Pregnancy

A recent study in the U.K. found that pregnant people who used e-cigarettes had babies born with the same birth weight as those who did not smoke. This is encouraging news for pregnant people who are looking for alternatives to traditional cigarettes. However, not only is there limited long-term data on vaping and e-cigarettes in pregnancy, there are still some risks to the parent and the fetus because of the exposure to heavy metals and other cancer-causing agents, said Amber Samuel, M.D., a board-certified maternal-fetal medicine specialist and medical director at Obstetrix® Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists of Houston, part of Pediatrix® Medical Group. "There’s also increased risk of long-term pulmonary or lung disease, worsening asthma, cancer, and increased susceptibility to pulmonary infections," said Dr. Samuel. "Additionally, the fetus thrives on oxygen transport from [parent to them], so exposures that decrease this transport will necessarily increase risks for fetuses."

View the full story on Parents