Are Nicotine Patches Safe During Pregnancy?

Are you pregnant? You’ve likely been told to focus on your health and make good lifestyle choices.

Pregnancy is such a critical time because you’re not just looking after yourself; you’re carrying a life that relies on your diet and overall wellbeing.

That said, pregnancy can also be stressful, and if you’re a smoker, the urge to reach for a cigarette for a bit of comfort can be difficult to resist. 

If you’re keen to protect your baby from harm, it’s worth having a talk with your GP about nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).

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Many pregnant women who struggle to quit smoking turn to nicotine patches to help them stop, as they’re often seen as a safer option to minimise the risks to their unborn child. 

But, you might be wondering if nicotine patches are really safe to use during pregnancy.

In this post, we’ll take a closer look at whether using nicotine patches can help you quit smoking while expecting and what you should keep in mind during this journey.

Understanding Nicotine Patches

What is a Nicotine Patch?

If you’re a smoker looking to quit, nicotine patches can be a helpful tool in managing withdrawal symptoms and cravings.

These FDA-approved patches provide a steady, controlled dose of nicotine through your skin, without all the harmful chemicals found in cigarette smoke that can lead to numerous preventable diseases.

That said, when it comes to pregnancy, there’s still quite a bit of debate about how safe nicotine patches are for expectant mothers.

While they’ve been proven effective in helping the general population quit smoking, it’s natural to wonder whether they’re the right choice during such a delicate time.

How to Use Nicotine Patches While Pregnant: Is it Safe?

If you’re using nicotine patches, you might be concerned about whether they could affect your baby’s development or cause any harm.

Nicotine does have the potential to impact your blood flow, which could end up affecting your unborn child’s development.

Here’s why: nicotine can temporarily increase your heart rate by narrowing your blood vessels. 

This reduced blood flow may affect the placenta, which is vital for supplying oxygen and nutrients to your baby.

Even short-term changes in blood flow to the placenta can lead to complications like low birth weight or preterm birth, so it’s definitely something to be mindful of.

Nicotine Patches and Pregnancy: Assessing the Health Risks and the Benefits

So, are nicotine patches bad for your baby? Some studies on this have suggested various effects on the mothers and their unborn children.

What are the Side Effects of Nicotine Patches for Pregnant Women?

One study illustrates that there’s a minor correlation between using NRT prescriptions and infantile colic in a newborn child of six months. However, the same study also mentions that there’s no link between major infant health disorders and congenital anomalies and nicotine patches.

One A vs B study that involved hundreds of pregnant women who used nicotine patches and placebos yielded no significant difference in their offspring’s vitality and overall health.

Another study showed that nicotine patches also did not benefit pregnant mothers as part of their efforts to stop smoking while pregnant – the reason being that a pregnant mother’s metabolism is faster than a normal person’s during gestation.

With all these studies in tow, the use of nicotine patches as a smoking cessation aid while pregnant must be approached cautiously and with full consideration of the possible effects.

We strongly suggest pregnant mothers see a GP prior to using any form of NRT tools and have an expert assess their overall condition while using nicotine patches and their unborn children’s development throughout the process.

The Benefits of Using Nicotine Patches During Pregnancy

While it’s still unclear whether there are permanent side effects to both an unborn child and their mother while using nicotine patches, a GP can weigh the pros and cons of putting her through the therapy.

In other words, they can observe the effects of using NRT on the pregnant mother and recommend whether they should continue or cease altogether.

For example, a GP can see that an actively smoking pregnant woman can do much more harm to their child than if they were to use nicotine patches to curb their cravings. The GP might find that the primary advantage lies in the harm reduction aspect – smoking has been associated with various preventable problems in both the mother and child.

With this in mind, having small doses of nicotine to wean off an actively smoking pregnant woman will cause relatively less harm to the child.

However, if a pregnant woman is determined to stop smoking cold turkey, a GP may recommend they do not go through NRT at all. They may recommend alternative methods, such as meditation, journaling, talk therapy, having a support group, and various other non-nicotine-related solutions that will keep her and her child away from any danger of nicotine consumption while quitting.

Summary

Smoking and pregnancy are a dangerous combination with long-lasting side effects for mothers and their unborn children. 

While nicotine patches have helped many motivated smokers quit for good, it must be a tool cautiously approached by mothers with the help of health experts who can assess whether it’s the best course of action while keeping the possible health effects in mind.

If you’re a pregnant mother determined to stop smoking with or without nicotine patches, we can definitely help you.

Smokefree Clinic gives you access to many medically reviewed and trustworthy resources that can inform and aid you in your path to wellness, so have a look around! 

If you’re ready to get started, Smokefree can connect you to Australian healthcare professionals who excel in helping patients quit smoking for good.

Link Reference

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8070414/#B24-ijerph-18-04004
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8070414/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9819948/#B18-ijerph-20-00250