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Why Does Smoking Affect Your Eggs?
Study after study has shown the adverse effects that cigarette smoking has on a woman’s reproductive system. Especially at risk are the fragile egg cells inside a woman’s ovaries known as oocytes. The chemicals found in cigarette smoke can mutate the DNA of these egg cells, leading to reproductive and fertility problems. Besides nicotine, a highly addictive chemical, cigarette smoke contains a number of other dangerous and poisonous chemicals, such as carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, cyanide and arsenic.
Smoking Effects on Fetuses
When you’re pregnant, you take a lot of steps to ensure the health of your developing baby. You eat all the right foods and exercise daily. You get plenty of rest and try to reduce your stress levels. And you make sure not to miss a single prenatal appointment. But if you’re addicted to cigarettes, stopping smoking is one of the most significant things you can do to deliver a healthy baby. According to a survey by the U.S. Public Health Service, nearly 20 percent of women smoke while pregnant. Unfortunately, the harmful compounds found in cigarettes can impair, and even be fatal to, a developing fetus.
Pregnancy Development in the Womb
There are three main developmental stages of pregnancy: first, second and third trimesters. Many things happen in the development of a fetus. From the moment the fertilization happens through birth, there are different areas of the baby’s anatomy that develop and function in each stage. Knowing what goes on in each stage can help the physicians and the parents in calculating and anticipating the arrival of the baby. Furthermore, using advanced medical technologies, the doctors can determine if the baby is developing normally or not.
The Effects of Smoking on Babies
We all know smoking isn’t good for you; it turns out it’s just as harmful, if not more so, for a developing baby. Low birth weight, a greater risk of SIDS and an increased risk of childhood asthma are just a few of the health problems faced by babies who are exposed to nicotine in the womb. Give your baby a better chance at a healthy, happy infancy by cutting out cigarettes and staying away from second hand smoke.