Search WellMD

 

WellMD.com

Fetuses of Smokers Exposed to Carcinogens.

As if there weren’t enough reasons to not smoke during pregnancy, a new study reveals that smoking during pregnancy may cause an increased risk of cancer to the developing fetus later in life. 

Smoking during pregnancy is known to be harmful, among them reducing birth weight and reducing the oxygen supply to the developing fetus. New evidence reveals that a carcinogen found in tobacco smoke can be detected in the fluid that bathes the fetus in pregnant smokers. 

In a study published in the April 2000 issue of Prenatal Diagnosis, researchers at The Center for Human Genetics at Boston University Medical Center found that a tobacco-specific carcinogen was found in higher concentrations in the amniotic fluid of smokers.

The researchers measured the amount of NNAL, a “potent carcinogen” found in tobacco smoke, in the amniotic fluid of 51 pregnant women.  They found NNAL in 52% of smokers vs. only 7% in nonsmokers.

New research is underway to establish if children of smokers may be at higher risk of cancer later in life.

 Copyright WellMD 2000