Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable death, disease, and disability worldwide. However, not many are aware of its disproportionate effects on female smokers’ health, particularly their reproductive system. A study published in the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology found that among women aged 18-45 years old, the risk of infertility was associated with smoking status. Specifically, the risk of infertility was higher by 41.8% among current smokers compared to nonsmokers.
Besides infertility, smoking can also have other reproductive effects like pregnancy complications. This entails a closer look at the connection between smoking and the female reproductive system, while also guiding female smokers through better managing their health with the help of effective smoking cessation strategies.
How smoking affects women’s reproductive health
As previously mentioned, smoking can impair fertility and make it harder to conceive. This can be attributed to how harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke, such as cyanide and carbon monoxide, can speed up the loss rate of eggs.
Even when female smokers manage to get pregnant, the dangerous effects of smoking can manifest during pregnancy and birth. For instance, the oxidative stress and damage caused by smoking can increase the risk of pregnancy complications, including ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, and premature labor and delivery.
Smoking’s effects on immune system functioning can also affect the infant, contributing to health issues like low birth weight, birth defects like cleft lip or cleft palate, and weaker lungs. Such risks highlight the importance of quitting smoking as soon as possible to reduce reproductive problems and benefit overall health and wellness.
How female smokers can successfully quit cigarettes
Use smoke-free alternatives
Since quitting cigarettes cold turkey can lead to withdrawal symptoms, female smokers may first opt for smoke-free alternatives to curb nicotine cravings without relapsing to tobacco products. A viable option are nicotine pouches manufactured by Philip Morris International under the brand ZYN, which have become increasingly popular in the US, with shipments growing by 79.7% compared to 2023 and expected to reach 560 million cans this year.
Despite being relatively newer than other alternatives like nicotine gums, ZYN pouches are popular since they are designed to be tobacco-free to appeal to American consumers who may not like the taste of tobacco or are reducing their tobacco consumption. Besides various flavors like menthol-based cool mint, peppermint, and wintergreen, and strength options between light (3mg) and normal (6mg), these ZYN pouches are available online and offer discreet delivery through oral absorption — making them suitable even for public places like offices, parks, and restaurants.
Consider quit-smoking medications
Another option for successful and long-term smoking cessation is to consider quit-smoking medications. These drugs either work by mimicking the effects of nicotine on the brain to relieve cravings and withdrawal symptoms or by reducing the enjoyment you get from nicotine to make it easier to quit in the long term.
Varenicline, also known under the brand name Chantix, has both effects, making it viable for female smokers who want to quit tobacco and nicotine altogether. Following a randomized clinical trial that demonstrates Chantix’s potential to contribute to a cessation rate of 3%-20% depending on the dosage, smokers may consider using the prescription drug by itself or in combination with other smoking cessation approaches like smoke-free alternatives and behavioral therapy.
While smoking cessation can reduce reproductive health issues among women, those diagnosed with reproductive disorders like ovarian cancer — whose risk is also increased by smoking — may need more than just lifestyle changes. This makes the startup AOA instrumental in improving women’s reproductive health at the population level, as it focuses on early detection of ovarian cancer to boost survival rates.
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