Register for Some of Smoking's Harmful Effects Reserved Specifically for Women
Tobacco UseDecember 7-14, 2000
(NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Smoking can cause serious health problems for anyone, regardless of age or gender. But some of tobacco's harmful effects are reserved for women only.
That is why health experts presented the latest research on tobacco and how it affects women at a special conference sponsored by the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Heart, and Ovaries: A Symposium on Tobacco and Women's Health," was held November 10, 2000, in Baltimore, Maryland.
"Women who smoke are four times more likely to develop cervical cancer than women who don't use tobacco," said Sandra Brooks, MD, associate professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and director of Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
But Brooks said a surprising number of women are unaware of the increased risk.
"Physicians need to make their female patients aware of the short- and long-term effects of smoking," said Brooks, one of a dozen leading researchers who spoke at the conference. "Smoking affects many cells in the human body. The longer a woman smokes, the more damage is done."
Smoking also increases the risk of infertility. "Studies have shown that tobacco use can decrease the supply of eggs within the ovaries, even in young women," said Howard D. McClamrock, MD, associate professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and director of the Medical Center's in-vitro fertilization program. "Doctors should urge women to stop smoking if they plan to become pregnant in the future."
Women smokers who do conceive should quit. Research presented at the conference linked maternal smoking to underweight babies, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and learning and behavior problems. Despite extensive publicity about such dangers, about one-quarter of pregnant women continue to smoke cigarettes.
"Our prevention efforts need to be focused on young teenage girls, because they make up the fastest growing group of new smokers," said Mary Corretti, MD, associate professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and a cardiologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
In addition to the threat of cancer and reproductive problems, women smokers increase their risk of developing cardiovascular disease, which is the number one cause of death among women.
This article was prepared by Women's Health Weekly editors from staff and other reports.
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