The increase in the number of college girls and young women smoking cigarettes is a matter of public health concern. Smoking c an have detrimental effects on the general and reproductive health of women. Read on for the dangers of smoking and benefits of quitting it...
Some of the effects of tobacco smoke on the female reproductive system include:
Smoking is associated with an increased risk of infertility, for both women attempting to become pregnant for the first time (primary infertility) and women who have previously been pregnant (secondary infertility). Women who smoke also have a poorer response to in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Smokers have an increased risk for ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage. Ectopic pregnancy occurs when the fertilised eggs implants and begins to grow outside the uterus, usually in the fallopian tube. The embryo needs to be surgically removed and the damaged tube needs to be repaired or removed.
Smokers may experience more menstrual cramps and discomfort than non-smokers. Some studies suggest that smoking may be associated with a greater likelihood of menstrual irregularity. Smokers also tend to have a shorter menstrual cycle than non-smokers.
Women who smoke reach menopause approximately two years earlier than non-smoking women and may experience more menopausal symptoms, including hot flushes, sweats and insomnia. Postmenopausal women who smoke also tend to have lower bone density and therefore have a higher risk of getting a hip fracture compared to women who have never smoked.The risk of early menopause increases with the more cigarettes your smoke. Quitting smoking will reduce the risk of early menopause.
Women who smoke are at double the risk of suffering cervical cancer compared to women who have never smoked. The risk remains considering other risk factors for cervical cancer like infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV), a likely factor in most cases. The risk of developing cervical cancer increases the longer you smoke and more cigarettes you smoke. Smoking is also associated with increased risk of cancer of the vulva. While vulval cancer is rare, around 40% of cases in Australia are thought to be caused by smoking.
Having ‘just one’ is the way that most people go back to regular smoking. Quitting means resisting the urge to smoke even one cigarette, despite the cravings, the habit, the pressure and your own emotional reasons.
“Although you may be feeling disappointed, you should take pride in what you have achieved. Every day you spent smoke-free made your body healthier and helped to break your habit”
You think ‘Just one would be OK’ or ‘It’d be great to smoke just one a month or one a week’. But why weren't you smoking just one a week before you quit? Because, tobacco is extremely addictive. That's why you had to work hard to quit. Don't let nicotine control you again!
You're really missing smoking and question whether quitting is worth the effort. Quitting can be really tough, but you can get through it. Find other ways to treat yourself and keep doing things that you enjoy every day. You take puffs of other people's cigarettes but excuse it as ‘not really smoking'. It's only a matter of time before you find yourself buying a pack. Ask your friends and family not to give you cigarettes.
Don't let one cigarette lead you back into full-time smoking. Think of how long you have gone without a cigarette and tell yourself ‘I am determined to quit. I have only slipped up once. In the past, I would have smoked 15 a day. I can get back on track and give it up’.
Don't despair. Plan another date to quit as soon as possible. Most people who have quit smoking for good have made several serious attempts. It may take you a while to learn to be a non-smoker. Although you may be feeling disappointed, you should take pride in what you have achieved. Every day you spent smoke-free made your body healthier and helped to break your habit and weaken your addiction.
Keeping your good habits will help weaken your addiction for your next attempt. If you have made your home and car smoke-free, keep them that way. Try to delay your first cigarette of the day with a new morning routine, for example, have a shower and breakfast first.
You will feel the benefits of quitting straight away as your body repairs itself. Depending on the number of cigarettes you smoke, typical benefits of stopping are:
Quitting smoking can be a most difficult, yet rewarding things a person can do. Most smokers say they would like to quit, and may have tried at least once. Some are successful the first time, but many other people try a number of times before they finally give up for good.
