Why is smoking dangerous for women?

Smoking is dangerous for everyone, but there are more serious concerns when we talk about tobacco use among women. Over the years, there have been different kinds of cigarettes and other forms of tobacco that make them look more appealing to women. Some are advertised as mild and lighter, but the truth is that this habit has deadly risks and the health effects of tobacco use are dangerous, regardless of the brand, labelling or type.

Here are some of the health consequences of tobacco use among women:

Smoking is harder on women's lungs

According to a report by The New England Journal of Medicine , women smokers are 17.8 times more at risk of dying from lung cancer , than non-smoking women and male smokers are 14.6 times more at risk of dying from lung cancer than non-smoking men. Women smokers, including light smokers, are also at the risk of developing the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than men. It possibly points to a gender difference in susceptibility to the lung-damaging effects of smoking reducing women's lung function than male counterparts.

Periods

Women who smoke experience worse premenstrual symptoms (like more painful cramps) than those who don't smoke. Studies also suggest that smoking can be associated with a greater probability of menstrual irregularity. Smokers tend to have shorter menstrual cycles than non-smokers as well.

Fertility

Women who smoke or are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke have an increased risk of infertility and can even take much longer to get pregnant. A woman who wants to try to get pregnant should stop smoking to improve her natural fertility.

Smoking affects every stage of the reproductive process, including fertilization, hormone production, the embryo transport, the uterine environment and foetal development.

Smoking increases the risk of specific complications like miscarriage, congenital disabilities, chances of pre-term labour and bearing a baby with a low birth weight. Also, women smokers who go for in-vitro fertilization have a less likely chance of being successful.

Being exposed to second-hand smoke during pregnancy can also cause harm to the mother and baby.

Menopause

Women smokers tend to go through menopause earlier than women who don't smoke. They might also experience more menopausal symptoms like insomnia, hot flashes and sweats.

Bone density

Menopause causes a decrease in bone density, but for smoking women, it's much worse. It is because smoking lowers the levels of oestrogen, which helps the body hold calcium and other minerals. When a woman's body is already at risk of developing osteoporosis, smoking increases this risk.

Vision Problems

Everyone knows how smoking causes lung cancer and certain heart diseases, but most don't realise how it affects vision as well. Smoking has been linked to ocular diseases like age-related macular degeneration and cataract.

Breast Cancer

Few studies report a plausible link between smoking and breast cancer, but smoking can also complicate the treatment received for breast cancer. It can make healing difficult after surgery and can damage the lungs from the radiation therapy. Smoking is said to increase the risk of other malignancies like cervical and rectal cancer as well.

Heart Diseases

Researchers believe that it's the physiological differences that might make women more susceptible to the toxic effects of tobacco. It is projected that women who smoke are at a 25% higher risk of developing a coronary heart disease than male smokers. Smoking lowers the level of oestrogen; the decline in oestrogen levels can increase the risk of heart diseases in women.

Obstacles to Smoking Cessation

Apart from the usual reasons why it's hard to quit smoking, for women, there are certain other fears like:

• Inability to deal with anxiety and negative moods
• Influence of others, especially their male partner
• Other withdrawal symptoms

So we see that just like male smokers, women smokers are at increased risk of cancer, pulmonary disease and cardiovascular diseases; but women also experience added risks related to menstrual and reproductive function.

The good news is that quitting this habit can cut down the associated health risks and the earlier, the better.