According to the latest research, the use of nicotine patches and gums can cause birth defects if used in the early stages of pregnancy.

It was further eluded that the women who use nicotine replacement therapy in the first twelve weeks of pregnancy pose a 60 percent higher incidence of birth defect than nonsmokers.

The research was conducted on 77,000 pregnant women and the data was collected from them in regards to smoking habits and about 21,000 women said that they were smokers and about 56,000 women were nonsmokers. Including in the nonsmokers were about 250 women who were in the process of quitting smoking and were using nicotine patches.

In a previous research it has been shown that there is an increased risk of birth defects of cleft palates, heart problems and digestive disorders in women who were smokers.

It was found that there were birth defects in both the groups, smokers and nonsmokers, which makes about 5% of the babies having the defects. It is a fact that women who are smokers are at high risk of miscarriages, as well as birth defects.

It was also established that the women who were using the alternative therapies to quit smoking such as patches and gums have a 60 per cent greater risk of birth defects than non-smokers and there is also a double chance of malformations such as hip problems.

As mentioned above, there were about 250 women who were in the process of quitting smoking and were using alternative therapies, in that group there were about 19 children were born with birth defects.

The researchers also mentioned that their studies are based on a very small population and there is still a whole lot that needs to be done to elucidate the facts.

It is also being stated that the women who are planning for pregnancy must give up smoking as it can cause low birth weights and premature births along with birth defects.

Tobacco smoke has a lot of toxins that are lethal for the child in the womb and can lead to a great deal of problems during pregnancy for both the mother and child.

It is being debated that women who are smoking, when switch onto different alternatives such as patches and gums as a tool for smoking cessation, are not exposing themselves to the many harmful substances that are in the cigarette smoke and are only using nicotine, but nicotine is considered fetotoxic, as well as with patches it can reach high peak values.

It was further discussed that the role of nicotine substitutes causing the musculoskeletal and congenital malformations must be carefully studied in smokers who are considering pregnancy.

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