[Smoking in pregnancy]

Abstract

The course of pregnancy and delivery and the foetal outcome of women who smoked during pregnancy (n = 1751) were compared with nonsmokers (= 4937). The following variables were studied in retrospect: Duration of pregnancy, maternal weight gain, mode of delivery, foetal birthweight and the maturity of the newborn, Apgar scores, pH of the umbilical artery, perinatal mortality, frequency of foetal malformations, amount of amniotic fluid and the incidence of meconium staining, placental weight and the occurrence of placental infarctions. Birth weight, foetal length and head circumference were significantly smaller in the group of women who smoked. The incidence of babies with low birth weight and clinical signs of prematurity as well as placental infarctions was significantly increased in the same group. Gestational age was not different in smoking and nonsmoking gravidae. No statistical difference was found in the rate of C-sections, in Apgar scores, umbilical arterial pH, the incidence of malformations, perinatal mortality, and placental weight. Social factors were not considered in this study.