News

13th May 2004

Passive smoking increases risk of miscarriage

Everyone is aware of the dangers of smoking but a new study has shown that the risk of passive smoking to an unborn child is higher than previously thought.

The research, by scientists in the US and China, is published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, and has found that nearly a third of women whose partners smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day lost their babies within six weeks of conceiving.

The study focused on 526 newly-weds and while there was little difference in the women conceiving, regardless of whether or not their partners smoked, there was a significant effect on the pregnancy continuing to term.

Dr Scott Venners, one of the resarchers on the study, said the study suggested that some of the babies lost by women whose partners smoked would otherwise have survived to full term.

He believes that smoking can cause damage to the chromosomes in sperm and women who are exposed to tobacco smoke can suffer from reduced blood flow to the placenta and irregular female hormones.

Professor Alison Murdoch, president of the British Fertility Society, said, "Everyone in a household where there is going to be a baby should stop smoking."

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