Harmful Effects of Smoking in Women: How it Affects Females Differently Than Males
Smoking affects women differently than men and how they are at a higher risk of contracting diseases that are unique to them.
One can never stress enough on what smoking does to your health. We all are aware of the harmful effects of smoking. It increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and the prime reason for causing cancer. These risks of smoking affect both men and women. But women are exposed to other unique dangers that do not affect men. Recent research claims that the percentage of women smokers have gone up in the recent times. Women in the age-group of 20 to 45 are primary smokers. Younger women smoke more due to the combination of exposure to marketing and social smoking. Advertisements have often depicted women who smoke as classier and stronger than other women. This has led to a drastic increase in the number of women smokers. Below we tell you how smoking affects women differently than men and how they are at a higher risk of contracting diseases that are unique to them.
Effects of Smoking on Women
Infertility & Pregnancy: Is baby part of your future? Smoking may reduce chances of infertility. Studies have shown that decreased ovulatory response as well as fertilisation and implantation of the zygote may be impaired in women who smoke. Chemicals in tobacco may also alter the cervical fluid, making it toxic to sperm, therefore causing pregnancy to be difficult to achieve. Many women today delay childbirth till their late 30s which can cause infertility even for non-smoking women. But women who smoke and delay childbirth are at substantially greater risk of future infertility problems. Also, women who are pregnant and smoke, they tend to pass on the toxic chemicals in the tobacco to the unborn child. This results in preterm delivery, low-birth weight, premature rupture of membranes, miscarriage and even neonatal death.
Premature Menopause: Menstrual problems such as abnormal bleeding, amenorrhea i.e. absence of periods and vaginal discharges or infections are common complaints among women who smoke. Smoking at an early age increases a woman’s risk of early menopause by three times. Menstrual abnormalities and early menopause may be caused by a toxic effect on the ovaries or by lower levels of estrogen in women smokers.
Osteoporosis: Smoking causes a significant increase in the risk of bone loss and osteoporosis. Women who smoke more than 15 cigarettes a day experience loss of bone density 5 to 10 times more than non-smokers. Therefore, once a woman reaches age 40, bone density scanning is highly recommended for women smokers so that treatment can be done if osteoporosis is noted.
Premature ageing & Beauty: Smoking will make you age prematurely and make you look older. Other side-effects include uneven skin tone, sagging skin, wrinkles and breasts, damaged gums and teeth, stained nails and hair loss.
Cervical Cancer: Women should have regular pelvic exams that include pap smears and those who smoke, the necessity is even greater. Chemicals found in cervical tissue are also found in cigarettes that may weaken the ability of cervical cells to fight off infection. It may create a potential breeding ground for abnormal cervical cells to multiply.
It is often difficult for people to quit smoking. But the key point here to remember is self-motivation. A lot perseverance and self-control can help you accomplish your goal and kick the bad habit for good. There are variety of ways you can approach to quit smoking. If you cannot do it on your own, other methods include nicotine replacement therapy, medication and behavioural therapy. These have some higher success rates.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 14, 2018 04:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).