Nicotine Gum Helps Pregnant Women Cut Back On Cigarettes

Nicotine gum doesn’t help pregnant smokers quit smoking, but it may help them smoke fewer cigarettes — reducing their risk of having a premature babies or low-birth-weight baby, according to a small study.

The study is one of the few to examine the effect of nicotine replacement in pregnancy. Nicotine-replacement products haven’t been approved for pregnant women, although 12% of expectant mothers smoke.

The nearly 200 women in the study smoked an average of 18 cigarettes a day before pregnancy and 10 a day in the week before beginning the study.

Those given nicotine gum cut back by five or six cigarettes each day, while those who were given placebos cut back by three or four cigarettes a day.

Doctors also noticed that babies born to moms who chewed nicotine gum were less likely to need intensive care and had shorter hospital stays, although researchers say it’s possible that this could have been due to chance.

Avoiding tobacco is one of the most important things a woman can do to protect her baby, experts say. Smoking during pregnancy doubles the risk of low birth weight and prematurity, and causes up to 10% of infant deaths, according to the study.

Read more at USA TODAY