Typically, females begin smoking during adolescence, and the earlier a young women starts, the more heavily she will probably smoke as an adult. Female smokers increase their risk for chronic health problems and early death. In fact, lung cancer is now the leading cause of cancer deaths in women. In addition, tobacco puts women at risk for cancers of the bladder, kidney, pancreas, cervix, mouth, throat, and esophagus. Heart Disease and Stroke.
Smoking greatly increase a woman's risk of heart attack and stroke.
While most of these deaths are of women past the age of menopause, some studies suggest that smoking greatly increases the risk of heart disease among premenopausal women who take birth control pills. Smoking increases a woman's risk of reproductive disorders. Smoking during pregnancy can also slow fetal growth, and result in low birth weight babies with health problems. Mothers who smoke and expose their infants to second-hand smoke increase their child's risk of developing bronchitis, pneumonia, and fluid in the middle ear. Exposing children to second-hand smoke can also cause asthma or make the condition worse.