There's no question that smoking is bad for the health, especially if the smoker is a pregnant woman. But just how bad it is for the health of the baby? 4D ultrasound images provide the answer, and it's quite shocking.
A group of researchers from two universities in the United Kingdom, Lancaster and Durham, tried to determine what happens to the fetus if the mother is smoking cigarettes during pregnancy.
For the study, at least 20 pregnant women participated. While all of the fetuses were considered healthy, about 4 of the mothers-to-be were active smokers who light at least 20 sticks on a daily basis. The rest were non-smokers. Between 24 and 36 weeks, the ultrasound images of their fetuses were captured at least 4 times. These examinations then produced 80 high-definition ultrasound images so they could properly see the movements of the fetuses.
They then noticed that although all fetuses had fetal movements, those of smoking mothers were moving more frequently. The researchers then attributed these motions to an effect of smoking to the nervous system, which governs movements. Specifically, these motions were described by other reports as "grimacing." They also believed that the fetuses of smoking moms didn't develop as normally as the ones from non-smoking pregnant women.
In conclusion, the researchers cited three things that can potentially cause pregnancy issues that may affect the development of the fetus even after he or she is delivered. These are depression, stress, and exposure to nicotine from smoking cigarettes. They hope to perform more study to establish the relationship between smoking and pregnancy stress, as well as the impact of smoking among fathers.
Many previous studies have already suggested how smoking during pregnancy can lead to speech delays on children and the increased risk of miscarriage.
The entire study is now available in Acta Paediatrica.
