Smoking and Women’s Health Concerns – Don’t Read If You’re Sqeamish

 

Smoking is harmful for both sexes but it poses some particularly unique problems for women and none of them good. Here is the bad and the ugly.

This post is not for the squeamish.

To be honest there is no good news here but if you do smoke and are considering quitting – I’m really hoping you are which is why you’re reading the article – then I provide a host of reasons for you to stop now. Okay on with the risks.

Besides heart disease and lung disease, there are fertility issues to worry about, as well as osteoporosis, pelvic inflammatory disease and cervical cancer, not to mention menstruation and menopause worries.

The Female Reproductive System suffers Badly with Smoking:

For example, did you know if you smoke as a teenager and continue the habit into your adult years you’re at risk of starting menopause three times earlier than you would’ve otherwise? The reality is most female smokers start seeing the signs of menopause anywhere from two to three years before non-smoking females do.

Women smokers who use any form of hormonal contraceptive such as the pill, Norplant or Depo Provera be advised you’re at a potentially high risk of having a heart attack, a blood clot or a stroke. This risk increases with age.

When the time comes to start a family you may find conceiving doesn’t come easily to you. A smoker has a 72 percent chance of fertility in comparison to a non-smoker. This is because ovulation is adversely affected by the presence of chemicals found in tobacco.

Once you do conceive if you continue your nicotine habit you run the risk of having a miscarriage, a preterm delivery, placenta previa, a premature rupture of membranes or neonatal death. A baby born to a smoker can have a very low birth weight and is likely to be susceptible to any number of respiratory problems.

Menstrual problems happen frequently to females who smoke. They experience abnormal bleeding, vaginal discharge and their share of vaginal infections. A condition called amenorrhea which is the lack of menstrual periods is also more common among smokers than non-smokers. Research studies have discovered both problems connected to menstruation as well as the early onset of menopause is associated with lower levels of the hormone estrogen and/or a toxic effect that causes the ovaries to not work as well as nature intended.

Bone and Cervical Disease are more Common in Smoker’s:

Osteoporosis is not a disease that is unique to female smokers but it’s more likely to affect them than their non-smoking counterparts. The reason for this is due to the fact that smoking lowers the density of bones making them weak, brittle and more prone to injuries. A woman who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day or more can expect to lose in the range of 5 to 10 percent of bone density by the time she starts menopause (which in turn is likely to start early, as previously mentioned).

Cervical cancer screening is imperative for every woman. Make sure you get a pap test yearly to look for this type of cancer as well as ovarian cancer. If you smoke then this is even more vital to your future health. Studies have shown smokers have an 80 percent higher risk of developing cervical cancer than do women who never took up the cigarette habit.

Pelvic inflammatory disease is more commonly seen in smokers than in non-smokers. It is 33 percent more likely to be diagnosed in a smoker. PID is a very serious disease that can cause the patient a tremendous amount of pain and is associated with a host of fertility concerns.

Smoking can affect a woman’s body in many potentially dangerous ways. It is essential you educate yourself about the risks you’re taking with yourself and your future offspring if you make the decision to continue to smoke.

As always feel free to contact me using the information below if you’ve any questions about this article or others at my site.

Erika Slater, CH
Director
Free At Last Hypnosis
http://www.freeatlasthypnosis.com
http://www.smoke-free-at-last.com