Nicotine Gum Might Help Pregnant Women Who Smoke Reduce Cigarette Consumption, Study Says

Main Category: Pregnancy / Obstetrics
Also Included In: Smoking / Quit Smoking;  Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Article Date: 02 Oct 2008 - 10:00 PDT

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Nicotine gum might help pregnant women who smoke reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke, which could reduce their risk of having premature or low-birthweight infants, according to a small study recently published in Obstetrics and Gynecology, USA Today reports. According to the study, smoking doubles the risk of having low birth weight and premature infants, and causes up to 10% of infant deaths.

The study included almost 200 women who smoked an average of 18 cigarettes daily prior to pregnancy and an average of 10 cigarettes daily for the week before the study began. The women randomly were assigned to chew either nicotine gum or placebos and all were offered six counseling sessions. The women who were given nicotine gum reduced the number of cigarettes they smoked daily by five or six, and the women given placebo gum reduced the number of daily cigarettes by three or four. According to the study, physicians noticed that infants born to women who chewed nicotine gum had shorter hospital stays and were less likely to require intensive care; however, researchers say this could be due to chance, USA Today reports.

The American Cancer Society's Thomas Glynn said that randomized trials involving nicotine replacement and pregnancy are rare and that the study is significant because of its focus on women with some of the highest smoking rates, such as women with low incomes, histories of mental health problems and low education levels. Study author Cheryl Oncken, associate professor at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, said that approximately 85% of the women in the study had tried three times to quit smoking and that although nicotine gum has its own risks, it might be safer than tobacco smoke, which contains thousands of chemicals and carbon monoxide. Nicotine replacement products have not been approved for pregnant women, but 12% of pregnant women smoke, according to USA Today. Diane Ashton of the March of Dimes said that the study is promising but that researchers might need to conduct larger studies to determine if nicotine gum is safe during pregnancy (Szabo, USA Today, 9/30).

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