Women and Smoking

Did you know that lung cancer kills more women every year than breast cancer? More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from AIDS, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined. Smoking among women began to increase after World War II, and lung cancer deaths were not far behind. Since 1960, the number of women dying of lung cancer has quadrupled. A woman's risk of a smoking-related disease depends on how long she has smoked, how many cigarettes she has smoked and how deeply she inhales.

Tobacco smoking is a significant risk factor for a range of disabling and fatal conditions. For women, cigarette smoking increases the risk of a number of pregnancy and sex-specific health problems.

• Women who smoke are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Women who smoke and take the contraceptive pill have an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, and this risk increases dramatically with age.
• Smoking contributes to peripheral vascular disease (PVD), which occurs when blockages within the blood vessels prevent proper circulation. PVD can cause severe pain and may even lead to gangrene and amputation of a limb.
• Smoking increases the risk of cancers of the nose, mouth and throat, oesophagus, voice box, bladder, kidney, stomach, pancreas, liver, anus and blood.
• Women smokers are at greater risk of health problems relating to period pain, Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), pregnancy and their babies' health, and menopause. They are more likely to experience reduced fertility and delays in conceiving.
• Women smokers may also face difficulties during pregnancy and childbirth, including pregnancy complications, miscarriage and premature birth. There are greater risks of their baby having a low birth weight, being still born or dying shortly after birth, and sudden infant death syndrome.
• Women smokers are less likely to breastfeed. If they do, they tend to produce less breast milk and are more likely to wean their babies earlier. Smoking affects the breast milk, exposing babies to nicotine as well as altering the flavor of the milk.
• Smoking increases the risk of developing chronic lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema. These diseases lead to progressive loss of lung function, making it harder to breathe.
• Smoking contributes to osteoporosis (thinning of the bones), and women smokers have an increased risk for hip fracture.
• Recent research has also found that women who are currently heavy smokers are at greater risk of having colds which last longer compared to non-smokers.
• Women who smoke have more facial wrinkles than non-smokers.
• Women who smoke have increased risk for conception delay and for both primary and secondary infertility.
• Women who smoke may have a modest increase in risks for ectopic pregnancy (fallopian tube or peritoneal cavity pregnancy) and spontaneous abortion.
• Women smokers have natural menopause at a younger age than do nonsmokers, and they may experience more severe menopausal symptoms.
• Smoking increases a women's risk of developing cervical cancer. Studies indicate that cigarette products are selectively concentrated in female genitalia. Women who smoke are twice as likely as nonsmokers to get cervical cancer.
• Smoking appears to increase the risk of diabetes mellitus more for women than for men.
• Women who smoke are more likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than their male counterparts and are more likely to have symptoms of COPD at lower levels of tobacco smoke exposure.

Stress is a big factor that drives women to smoke. These days, females are expected to work full-time, take care of households, raise children, and still have time to be attentive wives. But remember, there are ways to quit smoking. Exercise and eating healthy are among ways to combat weight gain and depression, along with various forms of counseling.