Low birth weight, preterm delivery seen particularly among individuals using e-cigarettes daily<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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THURSDAY, July 22, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Electronic cigarette use during pregnancy is associated with adverse birth outcomes, according to a study published online in the July issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology<\/em>.<\/p>\n Annette K. Regan, Ph.D., M.P.H., from Texas A&M University in College Station, and colleagues used data from the 2016 to 2018 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System to evaluate the association between e-cigarette use during the three months before and last three months of pregnancy as well as birth outcomes among 79,176 individuals.<\/p>\n The researchers found that in the three months before pregnancy, 2.7 percent of respondents reported e-cigarette use, while 1.1 percent used e-cigarettes during the last three months of pregnancy. There was no association observed between e-cigarette use before pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes. However, e-cigarette use during pregnancy was associated with a higher prevalence of low birth weight versus nonuse (8.1 versus 6.1 percent; adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR], 1.33). E-cigarette use was associated with a higher prevalence of low birth weight (aPR, 1.88) and preterm birth (aPR, 1.69) among respondents who did not also smoke combustible cigarettes during pregnancy. These associations were strongest for daily e-cigarette users.<\/p>\n “These findings show that e-cigarettes should not be considered a safe alternative to regular cigarettes and that there are potentially very real health risks from vaping when it comes to pregnancy,” Regan said in a statement.<\/p>\n