Researchers from Queen Mary University in London conducted a new analysis of experimental data on pregnant smokers and found that frequent use of nicotine substitutes during pregnancy was not associated with adverse pregnancy events or outcomes.
This study, published today in the Journal of Addiction, conducted a secondary analysis of the pregnancy trial (PREP) randomized controlled trial of e-cigarettes and patches. This study aims to examine the safety of e-cigarettes (EC) and nicotine patches (NRT) in helping pregnant smokers quit smoking. The participants included 1140 pregnant smokers, with measurements including nicotine intake compared to baseline, birth weight, other pregnancy outcomes, adverse events, maternal respiratory symptoms, and relapse in early smokers.
The research results indicate that frequent use of e-cigarettes or nicotine patches by pregnant smokers appears to be unrelated to any adverse consequences. Specifically, the use of EC is more common than the use of NRT, and women who stop smoking in late pregnancy (EOP) and use EC have a 45% reduction in salivary cotinine. In addition, there was no difference in birth weight between smokers and smokers who used nicotine products, indicating that the use of EC and NRT in late pregnancy may not affect intrauterine growth.
In addition, research has found that using nicotine products during pregnancy does not increase the risk of relapse in early quitters. In addition, the analysis of birth and maternal outcomes, adverse events, and recurrence rates was adjusted based on baseline characteristics associated with the outcomes, and no significant differences were observed between participants using nicotine products and those not using nicotine.
It is worth noting that the evaluation of respiratory symptoms shows that the improvement of cough and phlegm in EC users is higher than that in non users, and there is no change in shortness of breath and wheezing. The study also analyzed changes in salivary cotinine levels and found that frequent use of nicotine products was associated with specific changes in cotinine levels. Compared to quitters and smokers, dual users and smokers exhibited different patterns of cotinine increase. However, the study acknowledges some limitations, such as self-reported abstinence and limited statistical ability in some comparisons due to small sample sizes.
In summary, studies have shown that frequent use of e-cigarettes or nicotine patches by pregnant smokers appears to be unrelated to adverse consequences.
This discovery provides important insights into the safety of nicotine products as smoking cessation adjuncts during pregnancy, and valuable information for healthcare professionals and pregnant women seeking smoking cessation support.