Pregnant Women's Knowledge of the Active and Passive Smoking Effects on Pregnancy and the Fetus

There are two remaining areas where the standards for tobacco use during pregnancy have changed little: one area is the high level of consumption by pregnant women and the other is the limited care given to pregnant women.

Indeed, many pregnant women are still over-exposed to tobacco, either through personal use or passive exposure to cigarette smoke. This passive exposure often comes from the consumption of their loved ones, such as their future co-parent or family.

However, throughout our lives, health professionals, associations, and the government send a lot of information and messages about the negative effects of tobacco on health, pregnancy, and the fetus.

This information and the possibility of receiving help from a professional trained in tobacco use exist throughout the entire pregnancy.

However, many women and their partners still do not take the necessary precautions to reduce or stop smoking. Do couples who smoke during pregnancy really have an understanding of the smoking's effects on women and their fetuses? Could they realize it and would they reduce or stop their consumption, in case they knew these negative effects?