Women's Health Articles - Smoking

What Every Woman Needs to Know About Smoking

How smoking harms women

Smoking is the single greatest cause of preventable deaths in this country. Compared with female nonsmokers, woman who smoke are:

Ten times more likely to die of lung cancer or chronic lung disease
five times more likely to die of a stroke
Three times more likely to die of heart disease

Cancer

Smoking causes 21% of all cancer deaths in American woman. Not only does it cause lung cancer, it greatly increases a woman's risk of cancer of the cervix, larynx, esophagus, bladder, or stomach.

The incidence of lung cancer is rising nine times faster in woman than men. Only 11% of woman who are diagnoses with lung cancer will have survived five years later. In comparison, 67% of women with breast cancer will have survived more than five years after diagnosis. Currently, more than 66,000 American women die of lung cancer each year.

Cardiovascular Disease:

Nearly one fifth of all deaths from cardiovascular disease can be attributed to smoking. This means that almost 100,000 women and 90,000 men die each year of smoking-related cardiovascular disease.

Smoking is particularly dangerous for young woman. Before menopause, the risk of cardiovascular disease is normally low. But the risk triples if a woman smokes. Two out of every three heart attacks in women under 50 are attributed to smoking.

Even if a woman smokes as few as one to four cigarettes a day, she still faces an increased risk of having a heart attack or of dying of cardiovascular disease.

More reasons pregnant woman should not smoke...

Pregnant women have even more reasons to stop smoking. Recent research at University of Minnesota and National Cancer Institute discovered direct evidence that the first urine of newborns of women who smoked during their pregnancy contain the carcinogen NNK (Nicotine derived Nitrosaminoketone) which has never been found in newborns of nonsmokers. NNK is one of the strongest cancer causing agents found in all types of tobacco products.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is two to four times more common in babies whose mothers smoked during pregnancy than in other babies.

How to stop Smoking

All of the risks described decrease or disappear after you stop smoking. You Can Quit! Most persons who try to quit smoking are not able to do so on their first try. But don't give up just because you didn't succeed on your first attempt.

A number of strategies can be used to stop smoking; many people find that they have to use a combination of several. These strategies include:

Cold Turkey:
Many smokers simply choose to stop smoking. On that day they throw away their cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays.

The support of family and friends is particularly important for women who want to stop smoking this way. Let them know what you are trying to accomplish, and ask them to help you get through the first few days. Plan activities that will keep you busy, preferably in places where smoking is not allowed

Gradual Withdrawal:
A variety of maneuvers can help you quit gradually. For example, you can limit the number of cigarettes you allow yourself each day; every day or two, cut down that number by one. Or try smoking only half of each cigarette. Another approach is to set limits on the hours of the day during which you allow yourself to smoke; each day, reduce your "smoking permitted" time by an hour or half hour. If you do try to stop gradually, you should still establish a "quit day" -- the day you give up cigarettes altogether.

Support Groups:
Organized smoking cessation groups or classes can provide you with the help you need to get through this difficult process. After all, everyone in the group is going through the same thing you are! Your local hospital education department may have programs or classes for smoking cessation.

Nicotine Replacement:
Nicotine gum, patches, and nasal sprays allow you to beak the "habit" of smoking first, then gradually reduce the amount of nicotine you give to your body. They diminish the severity of withdrawal symptoms and increase the likelihood that you can quit smoking successfully. Talk to your health care provider before using these products, though because they may not be safe for some women.

Bupropion:
This drug is not a nicotine replacement product. Rather bupropion acts in the brain to help people break their addiction to smoking. Talk to your health care provider about this drug, as it requires a prescription.

Remember: Cigarettes and other tobacco products are addictive. If you find it difficult to quit smoking, it's not because you lack willpower; it's because you are going through withdrawal from a drug (nicotine). If you don't succeed on your first attempt, try again to stop. Each time you try, the odds get higher that you will succeed!

This information is provided for general information and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for a health care provider consultation. For additional information or evaluation -- please consult your health care provider.