Nowadays, the global market offers innovative nicotine delivery systems that are replacing the consumption of traditional smoking tobacco products. The prevalence of the use of nicotine-containing e-systems by women during pregnancy remains unclear. However, this information is needed to assess the risk of adverse effects on the fetus and subsequent child development.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the prevalence of nicotine-containing product use by women during pregnancy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

From April to July 2022, an anonymous survey of 115 women who smoked during pregnancy and agreed to answer all the questions about the types of nicotine-containing products used during pregnancy was conducted in the neonatal department of the Arkhangelsk Regional Clinical Hospital.

RESULTS

The mean age of the smoking mothers was 29.5±5.2 years. They started smoking at an age when the influence of environmental factors in the team (at school and work) was most likely to occur. Before pregnancy, 18.3% of women used (partially or fully) novel nicotine delivery systems. When the pregnancy was detected, 10.6% of women who had previously smoked regular cigarettes began using nicotine-containing products, believing them to be harmless to the fetus. Thus, of the women who smoked during pregnancy, 61.7% smoked regular cigarettes, 20.9% used electronic nicotine delivery systems, and 17.4% of those surveyed used double smoking. First-time mothers preferred novel systems; second-time mothers were more likely to use traditional cigarettes (χ²₍₁₎=9.42, p=0.002). Moreover, women with high and very high nicotine addiction preferred to smoke regular cigarettes both before conception and during pregnancy (χ²₍₁₎=11.92, p=0.001).

CONCLUSION

The mother’s consumption of traditional cigarettes or other nicotine-containing products should be considered when assessing pregnancy history to predict fetal and postnatal outcomes.