Women smokers show an increased rate of heart attacks, cancer, oral diseases, and lung conditions. Currently employed women smokers report more days lost from work due to illness and injury than working women who do not smoke. Smoking may impair fertility. Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm delivery, and low birth weight. Teens who smoke are three times more likely than nonsmokers to use alcohol, eight times more likely to use marijuana, and 22 times more likely to use cocaine.
Smoking is associated with other risky behaviors, such as fighting and engaging in unprotected sex.
Unlike so many other conditions or diseases, everyone has the power to prevent themselves from suffering from smoking-related illnesses or death. The benefits of not smoking start within days of quitting. Sheet - This publication contains information on the prevalence of smoking by young women, racial and ethnic groups, pregnant women, trying to quit and how to quit as well as information on other tobacco use. Smoking and Your Digestive System - This fact sheet explains the harmful effects of cigarette smoking on the digestive system and explains how the damage can be reversed. This fact sheet provides detailed information on the effects of smoking on a woman's reproductive health, and the health of a baby exposed to cigarette smoke.