A study showed that smoking mothers who stop smoking when they become pregnant can harm their children.

The study, published today in the journal Human Reproduction, which tracked 689 women who became pregnant between 2010 and 2018, indicates that smoking cessation just before conception experienced a delay in the development of fetuses, smaller fetuses at the time of the ultrasound scan for 20 weeks, and weight loss at Birth.

The researchers found that by the 10th week of pregnancy, fetal development was delayed by about one day in women who smoked 10 or more cigarettes per day compared to non-smokers, and by 1.6 days in women who became pregnant by IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). ).

They also found that fetuses were not able to “compensate” for their growth during pregnancy, and a baby was more likely to be born small for gestational age, with an average birth weight of about 93g less than children born to non-smoking women.

The study, which was conducted in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, showed that smoking before and after pregnancy led to a small size of fetuses at 20 weeks and the birth of smaller infants.

Researcher Dr. Malak Rosyan said: “The results of this study confirm the importance of quitting smoking before pregnancy and that efforts to help women quit smoking should focus on this time window. If possible, women should quit smoking from the moment they plan to become pregnant. But it’s always a good idea to stop smoking anyway, especially at any stage of pregnancy.”

And she continued, “Smoking affects not only the growth of the fetus during pregnancy and the weight at birth, but also the development of the fetus from the very early stages of pregnancy.”

“This is why the period around pregnancy is such an important area of ​​research because many expectant mothers are not aware of a developing fetus in the early days when pregnancy has not yet been confirmed,” Dr. Rosian added.