Pregnant women who have a smoking habit are more than twice as likely to have children with a cleft palate or lip birth defect, a new study has found.
Pregnant women who have a smoking habit are more than twice as likely to have children with a cleft palate or lip birth defect, a new study has found.
The findings were based on the measurement of cotinine level, a metabolite of nicotine, in the blood from about 500 pregnant women.
Pregnancy and Antenatal Care - Healthy Pregnancy - Do’s & Don’ts
Healthy diet with iron and folic acid supplements, exercise and rest are vital for a healthy pregnancy. Smoking, alcohol and self-medication are to be avoided during pregnancy
Healthy diet with iron and folic acid supplements, exercise and rest are vital for a healthy pregnancy. Smoking, alcohol and self-medication are to be avoided during pregnancy
Children with oral clefts often have difficulty feeding, frequent ear infections, hearing loss, speech difficulties, and dental problems. Surgery often can repair these birth defects, which typically occur by the seventh week of pregnancy.
"The message to women is simple and clear: Don't smoke during pregnancy or even if you are considering becoming pregnant," said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes said.
"If we can help mothers quit smoking, we can help give more babies a healthy start in life," Dr. Howse added.
The study conducted by Mid-Pregnancy Cotinine and Risks of Orofacial Clefts and Neural Tube Defects" by Shaw's California group along with colleagues from Norway, The Netherlands, and Texas, will be published in The Journal of Pediatrics.
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Smoking during pregnancy increases risk of cleft palate
Researchers from the university of Michigan state that Women who smoke while pregnant are 60 percent to 70 percent more likely than nonsmokers to
Researchers from the university of Michigan state that Women who smoke while pregnant are 60 percent to 70 percent more likely than nonsmokers to
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