Vaping became a hit over the past years because many people said that it can actually help smokers to quit smoking. But does the smoke or second hand smoke from a vape can affect pregnancy?
We all know that smoking and second hand smoking are bad for a pregnant woman, but there’s no proven evidence that the smoke or the vapor coming from e-cigarettes is harmful to a pregnant woman.
What if you are pregnant and your husband or partner is vaping? Are you curious what will be the effect of the second hand vape on you while you’re on the journey to your pregnancy?
First, we need to know what is vaping or e-cigarettes?
Image from IStock
Vape or e-cigarettes is different from smoking as we all know. Traditional smoking actually burns tobacco leaves to create smoke. But both vaping and smoking release or has nicotine. Usually, vapers said that vaping is less harmful than smoking in a traditional way. Just because it is less harmful, it is not harmful at all.
You’ll need a device which is called a vape device and juice to make it work. Juices come in different flavors which is the main reason why people enjoy vaping. The vape juice usually contains propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine, and nicotine. You can actually choose the level of nicotine that you want.
How second hand smoke from vape can affect pregnancy?
According to the American Pregnancy Association (APA), is not really regulated in their country. That’s why it is said that it is difficult to know what chemicals are being inhaled and to what extent they can affect somebody or a pregnant woman for example.
According to Tommy.org a website that’s dedicated to understanding stillbirth and preventing miscarriage, said that the risk of inhaling the toxins from vaping is much lower, but it doesn’t say that there’s no risk at all.
Image from IStock
A professor from USC Viterbi School of Engineering, Constantinos Sioutas points out that, “Overall electronic cigarettes(vape) seem to be less harmful than regular cigarettes. But their elevated content of toxic metals such as nickel and chromium do raise concerns.”
Researchers and scientists are still researching the long-term effect of vaping and how second hand vape can affect other people since it is just a new thing. So, researchers are still inadequate and they still can’t be sure how vaping can affect a mother and her unborn baby.
Some researchers saw lung injuries and death associated with vaping. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported as of January 21, 2020, that there have been 60 deaths related to patients with e-cigarettes, or vaping, product use associated with lung injury, or EVALI.
According to Michael Blaha, M.D., M.P.H, a director of clinical research at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease,
“These cases appear to predominantly affect people who modify their vaping devices or use black market modified e-liquids. This is especially true for vaping products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC),”
But still, we don’t know how the second hand vape can affect pregnancy. Somehow, we know what possible things can happen to a person using a vape. It is still a clear view in understanding more about vaping.
What you and your partner can do?
Because of the inadequate study of vaping, we really can not tell what it can bring to a pregnant woman. There’s a lot of research that is still ongoing about vaping and its relation to pregnancy. The best thing you can do is have a smoking or vaping area where there’s no way a pregnant woman can inhale the vapor or smoke from the vape.
It is safe to say that vaping is still harmful even if its less harmful. Maybe we don’t really know what will be the effects of it on a pregnant woman now. But we know it’s still harmful, the better thing to do, is not vape in front of a pregnant woman, or if you’re pregnant avoid people who vape.
Until we are sure what it really does to a pregnant woman. Still, medical experts advise you to have your distance if you’re pregnant from people who are vaping. If your partner vapes it is better to talk to him about your concerns and have an appointment with a medical professional.
Source:
romper, hopkinsmedicine
READ MORE:
What complications does smoking cause in your baby?
5 reasons why smoking during pregnancy is extremely dangerous
How to quit smoking during pregnancy? Here are some tips!
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