Is Vaping During Pregnancy Dangerous?
October 18, 2023
You may have heard smoking cigarettes during pregnancy can harm your baby, but what about vaping?
Vaping has become popular in recent years. Robert O. Atlas, M.D., Chair of Mercy's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and a key leader within The Family Childbirth and Children's Center at Mercy, notes that he believes smoking nicotine in any form is bad for both mom and baby, but because vaping is still a newer trend, research is limited.
"There's an animal study, so it's not in humans, but what the animal study showed was harm to the fetus, smaller bones, smaller growth in these fetuses, so, yes, there are, at least in animal models, effects that are deleterious," Dr. Atlas said.
Dr. Atlas added that the goal is to have a woman stop smoking of any kind altogether before she becomes pregnant, and there are patches that can help a woman stop the habit.
View Mercy OB/GYN Dr. Robert Atlas' interview regarding vaping nicotine during pregnancy.
About Mercy
Founded in 1874 in Downtown Baltimore by the Sisters of Mercy, Mercy Medical Center is a 183-licensed bed, acute care, university-affiliated teaching hospital. Mercy has been recognized as a high-performing Maryland hospital (U.S. News & World Report); has achieved an overall 5-Star quality, safety, and patient experience rating (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services); is A-rated for Hospital Safety (Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade); and is certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a Magnet™ hospital. Mercy Health Services is a not-for-profit health system and the parent company of Mercy Medical Center and Mercy Personal Physicians.
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