Smoking is dangerous for all sexes and ages, and can lead to disease, and even death. But, for women, smoking poses unique challenges. We have all heard the warnings about smoking, especially the increased risk of a number of cancers, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, but we should also be aware of additional health risks for women, such as the impacts on female reproductive health and cervical cancer. Nicotine inhibits oestrogen, with multiple negative effects on women’s health. And while the serious increased health risks may not seem as tangible to young women who smoke – yellow teeth, foul breath, painful periods and early wrinkles could be.
Here’s the ugly truth about smoking from the #protectournext partnership, including the National Council Against Smoking (NCAS), the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA), the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of South Africa (HSFSA).
SMOKING = AGING
No matter what expensive potions you slather on, smoking ages your skin. Smokers can have more facial wrinkles, gum disease, bad breath, stained teeth and dental decay. A new study found more women smokers had gone grey by age 40, a risk which doubled by age 50. And if you want to see real-life results, take a look at this study of identical twins with different smoking habits.
THERE ARE BETTER LIPLINERS THAN A CIGARETTE!
Smokers use muscles around their lips that cause them to have more wrinkles, creating the tell-tale signs of a ‘smoker's pucker.’ Smoking and the natural loss of elasticity experienced when you age can combine to create deep lines around your lips.
SMOKING MESSES UP YOUR SMILE
The chemicals in tobacco and e-cigarettes inflict major damage where they enter the body: your mouth. Whether smoked or vaped, nicotine affects blood flow to your gums, which can contribute to periodontal disease. A study in the journal iScience showed that 43% of people using e-cigarettes had gum disease and oral infections. That figure was higher among smokers – 73% – but only 28% among people who neither smoked nor vaped.
SMOKING WORSENS PERIOD PAIN
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), women who smoke experience more severe premenstrual symptoms and have a 50 percent increase in cramping lasting two or more days. Menstrual issues including amenorrhea (absence of periods), abnormal bleeding, and vaginal infections are also common issues among women who smoke.
ON THE PILL? DON’T SMOKE
Female smokers who are on the pill have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases such as blood clots, heart attacks, and strokes. This risk increases with age.
SMOKING DECREASES YOUR FERTILITY
Research shows smoking may affect hormone production, making it difficult to become pregnant. Chemicals found in cigarettes, including 1,3-Butadiene and benzene, can harm reduce fertility by harming your reproductive system. Some chemicals may also affect the cervical fluid, making it toxic to sperm.
Smoking impacts your chances of successful in vitro fertilisation. Smokers have a greater risk of not ovulating, and it is also less likely that a fertilised egg will implant in the uterus. Nicotine interferes with the function of the fallopian tube and can make it difficult for an egg to move through to the uterus normally, which can lead to a potentially life-threatening ectopic or tubal pregnancy.
Female smokers can have around 72% of the fertility of nonsmokers. When all other factors are equal, it is 3.4 times more likely than smokers will require over one year to conceive.
SMOKING HURTS YOUR UNBORN BABY
No tobacco product is safe for pregnant women to use. Nearly all tobacco products—including most e-cigarettes—contain nicotine, which can cross the placenta and interfere with fetal and postnatal development. These toxic chemicals present serious risks to the unborn baby, as well as the mother.
According to the ACOG, smoking increases a pregnant woman's risk of miscarrying by 39% and heightens the chances of other serious complications, including placental abruption (when the placenta separates from the uterine wall), placenta previa (when the placenta covers the opening of the uterus) and stillbirth.
Maternal smoking is one of the most preventable causes of low birth weight. Children born to mothers who smoke are more likely to experience more illnesses, earaches, respiratory problems and colds than children born to nonsmokers.The breast milk of smokers can also contain nicotine.
HELLO HOT FLUSH, YOU’RE THREE YEARS EARLY
Menopause can happen two to three years earlier in smokers. Beginning to smoke as a teenager triples a woman's risk of early menopause. Early menopause may be caused by the lower levels of oestrogens noted in female smokers, or a toxic effect of nicotine on the ovaries.
PID AND COPD AND WHAT?
If you’re female and a smoker, these are acronyms you should know. Smokers are 33% more at risk of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), a painful disease that is often a contributing factor in ectopic pregnancies as well as pelvic adhesions and other fertility problems.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) includes various conditions of your airways, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, and it has no cure. People with COPD experience shortness of breath and lack of oxygen that worsens over time. Nearly 9 out of 10 cases of COPD are caused by smoking and female smokers increase their risk of death from bronchitis and emphysema by nearly 10 times.
IT’S JUST NOT HIP
Smoking causes a significant increase in the risk of bone loss and osteoporosis. Women who smoke, one pack of cigarettes a day, often experience a loss of bone density up to ten percent more than non-smokers by the time they reach menopause. Cigarette smoke creates free radicals, molecules that attack the organs, hormones, and cells responsible for keeping your bones healthy and regenerating bone.
Postmenopausal women who smoke have lower bone density than women who never smoked, which increases their risk of hip fracture. Bone density scanning is essential for female smokers to pick up any signs of osteoperosis.
CIGARETTES CAN BREAK YOUR HEART
About 275 million women are living with cardiovascular disease and seven million die annually, according to a study commissioned by Lancet. Hormones play a vital role. Oestrogen, which smoking inhibits, helps protect women against heart disease. A woman who smokes is two to six times more likely to have a heart attack than a non-smoker. Just one to four cigarettes a day is enough to double your risk of heart disease, says the ACOG.
SMOKING INCREASES YOUR RISK OF CANCER
Nearly all lung cancers, the number one killer of both men and women, are caused by cigarette smoking. Not only can smoking cause a variety of cancers in both men and women, it puts women at much higher risk of cervical cancer. Chemicals may weaken the ability of cervical cells to fight off infection and may create a potential breeding ground for abnormal cervical cells to multiply. Cervical cancer patients who quit smoking or who cut down, by at least 75%, may have a greater chance of remission and survival than patients who continue smoking.
According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer patients who smoke may increase their risk of death by at least 25 percent. The risk of fatal breast cancer goes up to 75 percent if you smoke two packs or more per day. The risk of vulvar cancer is also 40 percent higher for female smokers.
THE HEALTHIEST OPTION FOR WOMEN – QUIT!
Avoiding smoking is the best way for a woman to safeguard her health and beauty – inside and out. But for women who already smoke, it’s never too late to quit.
Quitting smoking can quickly transform your appearance. Improved blood flow brings more oxygen and nutrients to your skin and gums – resulting in a healthier complexion and better oral health. You may even notice your teeth getting whiter, and if you stay tobacco-free, the stains on your fingers and nails will disappear.
Within just a few years of quitting, your cervical cancer risk is reduced, and lung cancer risk can drop by as much as half within 10 years after quitting. Your risk for heart disease and stroke can be cut in half just one year later and continues to decline until it’s as low as a non-smoker’s risk. Isn’t it time to take action and fight for your health, and the health of the women you love.
(ENDS)
This Women’s Month, health organisations forming part of the #protectournext partnership, including the National Council Against Smoking (NCAS), the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA), the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of South Africa (HSFSA), are driving awareness of the risks of tobacco and encouraging women to quit through the Tobacco: The Ugly Truth campaign.
@protectournext
www.protectournext.co.za
For help to stop smoking, the public can call the National Council Against Smoking Quitline at 011 720 3145 or send an SMS/WhatsApp message at 0727664812.
CANSA runs an online programme which also provides support and information for smokers who would like to stop smoking on http://www.ekickbutt.org.za/.
AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW:
Sharon Nyatsanza (Phd), Project & Communications Manager, NCAS
Dr Catherine Egbe, Specialist Scientist: Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drug Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council
Professor Pamela Naidoo, CEO, The Heart and Stroke Foundation of South Africa
Lorraine Govender, National Advocacy Co-Ordinator, CANSA
MEDIA CONTACT:
Tamaryn Brown – tamaryn@cart.agency / tamaryn@connectmedia.co.za
084 3510560
REFERENCES:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS). The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health 2004.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office on Smoking and Health. Smoking and Reproduction Fact Sheet. Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health 50th Anniversary. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/50th-anniversary/pdfs/fs_smoking_reproduction_508.pdf. Accessed January 8, 2019
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Harmful and Potentially Harmful Constituents in Tobacco Products and Tobacco Smoke; Established List. https://www.fda.gov/TobaccoProducts/Labeling/RulesRegulationsGuidance/ucm297786.htm Accessed January 8, 2019.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS). Women and Smoking. A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2001.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS). E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2016.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS). The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health 2004.
Hartmann-Boyce J, Chepkin SC, Ye W, Bullen C, Lancaster T. Nicotine replacement therapy versus control for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2018, Issue 5.