Planning a pregnancy (Preconception)

If you are a smoker and planning to have a baby, the best thing you can do is stop smoking before trying to get pregnant.

Quitting smoking improves the lining of the womb. If you give up smoking, your chances of getting pregnant will increase. People who smoke are twice as likely to be infertile as non-smokers. This is true for people trying to become pregnant for the first time and for people who have been pregnant before.

Smoking can also affect the success rates of fertility treatment, such as IVF (In vitro fertilisation).

The good news is that women who have stopped smoking do not take any longer to get pregnant than women who have never smoked. It is ideal if you can stop smoking at least four months before getting pregnant but stopping at any point helps.

During Pregnancy

Protecting your baby from the harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke is one of the best things that you can do to give a child a healthy start in life. It can be a difficult task but if you quit before the 15th week of pregnancy, you may lower the risk of delivering preterm and small-for-gestational-age babies to a level similar to that of pregnant nonsmokers.

Every cigarette you smoke contains over 4000 chemicals, so smoking while pregnant harms your unborn baby. Cigarettes restrict essential oxygen supply to your baby and as a result, their heart must beat harder. It is estimated that each puff on a cigarette restricts about two seconds of oxygen to your baby which is needed to help them grow and develop.

Significant others and Second-hand smoke

There are several reasons why significant others should quit smoking too.

Not only is it easier for someone to quit smoking when they do not have smokers around them, but also second-hand (passive) smoke can affect a pregnant person and her baby before and after birth.

Breathing in other people’s smoke is known as exposure to second-hand smoke or passive smoking. When you smoke, it is not just your health that is put at risk, but the health of everyone around you.

Most second-hand smoke comes from the tip of a burning cigarette. This makes it almost impossible to direct smoke away from those around you. If you only smoke in one area of your home the harmful chemicals will spread rapidly from room to room and can linger for up to 5 hours. If you smoke in a confined space such as a car, you are exposing your fellow passengers to even more harmful chemicals. This is why smoking in public places was banned in 2007 and smoking in cars with children onboard was banned in 2015.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Find out what is available to you on our stop smoking medications page.

Vapes and e-cigarettes in pregnancy

Based on the latest evidence, e-cigarettes and vapes are significantly less harmful than cigarettes and are an effective aid for quitting. However, it is important to use UK (United Kingdom) e-liquids which have been regulated by the MHRA and never homemade or illicit vaping substances.

Many women who smoke during pregnancy have switched to e-cigarettes and vapes as an aid to quit.

Smokefree Families are also able to support you to quit vaping, long-term use of Nicotine Replacement Therapy or any other nicotine-containing product.

Book an Appointment

If you would like to access support please complete our booking form below and we will be in contact as soon as possible to discuss how we can support you with stopping smoking.