Is Vaping While Pregnant Safe for Moms and Babies?
New research suggests vaping could help pregnant smokers quit without harming their babies. But health agencies still urge caution until more evidence is available.
Study Finds No Added Risks from Vaping While Pregnant
A shocking new study from Queen Mary University of London challenges widespread recommendations against vaping during pregnancy.
Researchers analyzed over 1,100 pregnant smokers from English and Scottish medical centers. None originally used nicotine replacements.
Participants could opt to use patches or e-cigarettes to quit smoking. Nearly half chose vaping, while 21% used patches.
The study then compared birth outcomes between groups. Alarmingly, babies born to women who continued smoking had significantly lower birth weights.
However, babies whose mothers vaped or used patches weighed similarly to those of non-smokers. Cotinine tests confirmed users' nicotine intake.
Lead author Professor Peter Hajek explains:
"E-cigarettes helped pregnant smokers quit without posing any detectable risks compared to stopping smoking without nicotine."
The results suggest vaping does not restrict fetal growth like smoking. Harms may stem more from cigarette chemicals than nicotine itself.
Yet the authors acknowledge the small sample size. Rarer issues like pregnancy complications may have been missed. More research is still needed.
Ongoing Controversy and Concerns
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists maintains that vaping should be avoided during pregnancy.
Nicotine passes into the fetal bloodstream and could impair brain and organ development. Long-term impacts remain unknown.
US health agencies also caution that other vaping ingredients may be unsafe. Without FDA approval as cessation devices, vapes pose an unclear risk-benefit ratio.
However, vaping still seems far less dangerous than continued smoking while pregnant. This study indicates it could provide a "harm reduction" option when quitting fails.
UK doctors are now more open to vaping for pregnant smokers struggling to stop. But nonsmokers are advised to refrain from starting.
Wider Vaping Debates and Regulations
This news comes amid escalating global debates over vaping's health impacts and appropriate regulations.
While vaping has taken off in the UK as a smoking substitute, figures show growing addiction among youth. Disposable vapes raise particular concern.
As one in five UK children have now tried vaping, a government consultation explores potential sales restrictions. Ideas include banning kid-friendly flavors and marketing.
Other regions take a harder line - Australia now prohibits disposable vape imports altogether. The WHO seeks to restrict all flavored vapes like cigarettes.
So evidence on vaping risks remains mixed and hotly contested. But this latest pregnancy study may influence medical guidelines and policy decisions going forward.