SuppliedA review of several studies on vaping during pregnancy indicates a significant increase in negative outcomes for both the mother and the child. Vaping involves the use of a handheld device such as an e-cigarette or a vape pen to inhale vapour containing nicotine and other flavouring agents.
Subhabrata Moitra is the lead investigator for the review. Moitra is a former postdoctoral fellow in the University of Alberta’s department of medicine and a current assistant professor at Ahmedabad University’s Bagchi school of public health in India.
“Electronic cigarettes contain a liquid, and that liquid contains a lot of different chemicals,” Moitra said. He added that some of these chemicals are flavouring agents while others are “vehicles” that propel these flavouring agents to the lungs.
Classical cigarettes burn tobacco which releases smoke, while e-cigarettes heat a chemical mixture to vapour. Moitra explained that heating this chemical mixture changes its composition.
“So when you inhale those chemicals, you really don’t know what is actually going inside,” Moitra said.
Moitra’s analysis of various studies found that vaping during pregnancy is associated with a 53 per cent risk of poor outcomes for both mother and child. The studies included in the review were mostly observational studies without clinical trials. Additionally, most of the studies were from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) database in the United States (U.S.).
Vaping associated with negative outcomes like inadequate prenatal care, review finds
Some associated negative outcomes in pregnant mothers who vaped included depression, hypertension, and inadequate prenatal care. Of all the maternal outcomes linked with vaping, inadequate prenatal care was most common.
Prenatal care is a common practice in many countries which involves expectant mothers having routine checkups with medical professionals. The medical personnel provide counselling on how best to take care of their pregnancies.
According to Moitra, these sessions ”often include advice to quit smoking and all other sorts of addiction.”
Moitra said that this may contribute to reduced prenatal care visits by pregnant mothers who vape. He explained that some who start vaping during pregnancy switched to vaping as a “safer” alternative to cigarettes. These mothers, as well as those who were vaping before pregnancy, have a hard time quitting if asked to, he said.
The impact of vaping during pregnancy also extends to their newborns. “More than 50 per cent of these kids had a preterm birth or had a low birth weight,” Moitra said.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), low birth weight infants have a 20 times higher risk of infant mortality compared to heavier infants. Moitra added that these infants may also have improperly developed lungs, which may lead to restrictive lung disease in adulthood or late childhood.
Vaping and smoking may be “almost equally bad,” Moitra says
One of the issues with vaping, according to Moitra, is that some primary care physicians tend to suggest vaping to pregnant mothers who smoke as a safer option. Moitra disagrees with this as research has shown the negative impacts of vaping. He said that primary care providers need to be made aware of this.
Moitra said his group hypothesizes that vaping and smoking are “almost equally bad.” In response to the negative effects of vaping, some countries in Europe have banned vaping in public places and indoor spaces, he added.
According to Moitra, the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) previously provided funding targeted towards vaping-related research. He believes more public awareness campaigns on this issue are warranted.
