E-cigarette Causing Cessation during Pregnancy?

According to a recent study released by the University at Buffalo, using e-cigarettes prior to pregnancy increases the likelihood of smoking cessation during pregnancy, compared to using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Despite the widely recognized risks of smoking during pregnancy to both maternal and fetal health, only about half of pregnant women are able to quit smoking on their own.

In order to investigate the impact of e-cigarettes or nicotine replacement therapy on smoking cessation in the later stages of pregnancy, researchers compared the quit rates of these two groups. This observational study collected data from 1,329 pregnant women between 2016 and 2020 through the US Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). It is one of the first studies in the United States to examine the use of e-cigarettes by pregnant women.

Dr. Xiaozhong Wen, an associate professor at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, has conducted multiple studies in the field of behavioral medicine on smoking cessation during pregnancy and postpartum period.

He expressed his views after the publication of his research.

The urgency of studying the use of e-cigarettes among pregnant women is undeniable, as e-cigarette consumption has become increasingly prevalent among young people, including pregnant women.

A study has revealed that among 1,329 respondents who had previously used e-cigarettes or nicotine replacement therapy, approximately half (50.8%) of e-cigarette users claimed to quit smoking in the later stages of pregnancy. On the other hand, only 19.4% of individuals who used some form of nicotine replacement therapy successfully quit smoking.

A sub-group analysis of the study revealed that individuals who started using e-cigarettes before pregnancy had a higher smoking cessation rate (53.1%), whereas those who began using e-cigarettes during pregnancy had a similar smoking cessation rate (20.6%) to users of nicotine replacement therapy (19.4%).

Although the specific reasons are currently unclear, Wen Xiaozhong believes that there may be several possible explanations.

He stated, "The use of e-cigarettes may potentially assist patients in retaining tobacco-related hand movements, psychological gratification, social interaction, and engagement with other smokers."

He further added that e-cigarettes generally do not cause side effects like nausea, vomiting, sleep problems, headaches, etc., as nicotine replacement therapy does.

While this study may suggest that individuals who want to quit smoking during pregnancy could consider using e-cigarettes, it emphasizes the need for cautious interpretation of the findings and further confirmation through future randomized controlled trials.

He stated, "We have found that the association between e-cigarette use and smoking cessation during pregnancy may not be a causal relationship, particularly due to the presence of numerous important confounding factors, such as smoking intensity."