How Smoking Affects Women and How Should One Overcome It

Here on the Internet, there are a plethora of articles on the dangers of smoking. But very few of them mention the harm cigarettes cause to women. It is important to note that health issues like ectopic pregnancy and premature menopause in women are direct causes of smoking.

In this article, you will see some of the critical health effects cigarettes can have on women and also learn some tips to overcome smoking addiction as well.

So here it goes,

Irregular and Painful Periods

Several studies show how smoking significantly affects the level of oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone in women. This imbalance is what usually causes the disruption of the menstrual cycle in them. Also, women who smoke are reported to have more painful, heavier periods than women who never smoke. Though the experts are still in search of the exact reason for this, they believe the restriction of blood vessels and amount of oxygen to the uterus as the answer.

Infertility

One of the biggest reasons why smoking is dangerous for women is because it may make them infertile as well. The reason for this is because tobacco, the chief constituent of cigarettes, consists of harmful chemicals that disrupts normal ovarian function in females. What the chemicals do is it reduces the concentration of key hormones and reduces the number of eggs that can be fertilised. Also, women who smoke more tend to enter menopause than their non-smoking counterparts.

Faster Ageing

Haven’t you observed how most smokers have wrinkles on their faces? This is because nicotine causes blood vessels to narrow, reducing oxygen flow as well as nutrients to the skin. After this, the smoker’s face tends to lose sheen and appears as if he is ageing faster. But ageing isn’t for the skin only. Women who are into smoking can have premature menopause which puts them at the risk of health problems like heart diseases and osteoporosis, a medical condition causing weak bones.

Damages Cardiac Health

Smoking is bad for the cardiac health as the chemicals in the cigarette cause blood vessel cells to become swollen as well as inflamed. This can narrow the blood vessels causing many health problems to the heart which includes Atherosclerosis, Coronary Heart Disease, Stroke, Peripheral Arterial Disease, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm etc. The best thing a smoker can do to improve heart health is to end this addiction forever.

Jeopardises Unborn Baby’s Health

An unborn baby’s life is in grave danger if the mother is into smoking. This is primarily because Carbon Monoxide present in cigarettes has a greater affinity towards foetal tissue than adult tissue. Moreover, the Nicotine present in cigarettes can get into the baby's system while they are feeding on mother’s milk. Smoking while being pregnant can also invite other complications like miscarriage and premature labour as well.

How Can Women Overcome the Addiction of Smoking?

As you have seen the health complications associated with smoking, you might be now motivated to quit this habit at the earliest. Here are three things women can do to end their smoking addiction forever.

Identify and Avoid Triggers

If you are a smoker, you might have seen you only get the urge in specific circumstances. This is known as triggers and you should be able to avoid it whenever you can. The most common trigger of smoking is stress and smokers usually want to light up one when they are uneasy and anxious about something. It would be best if one can practice meditation as it significantly helps in having a grip on your thoughts as well as emotions. This would play a key role in avoiding the urge to smoke as well.

Try Vaping

In vaping, one uses a gadget known as e-cigarettes which mimics the traditional cigarettes while entirely avoiding the harmful tobacco from itself. Besides, the facility to tweak the nicotine levels through this gadget helps a smoker to end their nicotine addiction by gradually reducing the intensity when they are vaping. Above all, it gives all those smokers a great opportunity to quit cigarettes, especially if they are fearful of withdrawal symptoms. There are also studies which show how vaping is comparatively much safer than smoking.

Opt For Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Nicotine Replacement Therapy is a medical technique to overcome the addiction to tobacco by administering nicotine to the user, without using tobacco. Statistics have shown that this technique increases the chances of quitting smoking and tobacco by 55%!. Types of NRT include adhesive patch, lozenges, chewing gum, nose spray and inhaler etc. Like vaping, NRT also is a great way to skip those painful withdrawal symptoms.

All in All,

You have seen some grave effects of smoking on women and how it can hamper their important bodily functions. Fortunately, with the help of some of the above given tips, women folks can beat this addiction pretty fast. A little willpower and a strong resolve against failures can quickly help them to succeed.