Tobacco use can damage a woman’s reproductive health. For example, women who smoke are more likely to have trouble getting pregnant.

Women who smoke while pregnant have a higher risk of:

👉An ectopic pregnancy (where the embryo implants outside the uterus), which can threaten the mother’s life.

👉Problems with the placenta, which is the organ that connects the mother to fetus. The placenta might be in the wrong spot (placenta previa), or it might separate from the uterus too early (placental abruption). These problems might lead to serious bleeding, early delivery (premature birth), or other problems with the delivery, some of which might require an emergency Caesarean section (C-section).

👉Premature births and low birth-weight babies.

👉Miscarriages and stillbirths.

👉Having a child with a cleft lip, cleft palate, and possibly other birth defects.

👉Babies of mothers who smoke during and after pregnancy are also more likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).