Introduction: Smoking is a major health problem, as tobacco smoke is a toxic and carcinogenic mixture of thousands of chemicals. Smoking during pregnancy is not only associated with women's disease, but also with several pregnancy outcomes. It has been known for more than 50 years that prenatal exposure to tobacco increases the risk of low birth weight or prematurity. Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy. It is the biggest possible cause of abnormal lung development in the fetus. Purpose: To introduce the risks of smoking in pregnancy. Methods: A descriptive method of working was used, with a review of the literature on smoking in pregnancy. The literature was searched through the following databases: PubMed, Cinahl, Google Schoolar, ScienceDirect. The literature used was less than 17 years old. Results: The results of the reviewed studies showed that smoking during pregnancy has many consequences, including low birth weight, increased risk of miscarriage and premature death of the newborn, increased rates of chronic diseases, and behavioural and psychological problems. Discussion and conclusion: Fetal lungs are very sensitive to tobacco smoke, as it affects the change in lung function demonstrated at birth, which is long-lasting and likely affects later lung health. Pregnant women who actively smoke or are passively exposed to smoking have a high risk of adverse consequences during pregnancy. The most common consequence of pregnant women smoking is the risk of fetal growth arrest, and after child birth the risk of low birth weight. Newborns exposed to smoking during pregnancy are more excitable and hypertonic after birth, need more physical contact, and show signs of stress in the central nervous system. Prenatal exposure to smoking by pregnant women is associated with an increased rate of fractures in the first year of the infant's life. Quitting smoking at any time during pregnancy shows a reduction in negative effects on the health of the baby and the pregnant woman. If a pregnant woman cannot stop smoking, based on the findings, she should be encouraged to reduce her consumption to less than six cigarettes a day. Providing ongoing training for health care providers can help integrate smoking cessation into routine antenatal care.
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