| ng kills 114,000 people per year in the UK and a | | | | increased risk of miscarriage, bleeding during |
| growing proportion of these are women. The risks | | | | pregnancy, premature birth and hence low weight of |
| taken by women in smoking are many fold and are | | | | babies at birth. Lower birth weight and premature birth |
| well documented. Of these 114,000 deaths, over | | | | greatly increase the risks of ill-health in the child and the |
| 42,000 of them are women. | | | | failure of that child to thrive. Finally and probably most |
| As a group, 23% of all adult women are considered to | | | | painfully to any parent, smoking greatly increases the |
| be regular smokers compared with 26% of adult men. | | | | risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome also referred to |
| However, at secondary school age, more girls smoke | | | | as SIDS or cot death. |
| than boys, at a rate of 26% to 16% respectively. | | | | There is a prevalence in western society for women |
| Arguably this is because of the false belief that | | | | to use the contraceptive pill and links have been found |
| smoking helps weight loss and or slimming. As teenage | | | | between the pill and smokers with respect to a |
| girls are more susceptible to the social pressure of | | | | reduction in good health or a risk of negative side |
| looking slim, this may well be a promoting factor in the | | | | effects. Most notably, women on the pill increase their |
| higher prevalence of female smokers. | | | | risk of heart attack ten-fold by smoking. There is also |
| Given this similar rate of regular smoking at adulthood, | | | | a higher incidence of stroke and cardiovascular |
| women tend to smoke 2 cigarettes per day less than | | | | disease in women taking the pill and smoking. |
| men, on average smoking 13 cigarettes compared to | | | | Smoking also increases the risk of problematic |
| men smoking 15. It is possible that this is as a result of | | | | menstruation (but not Pre-Menstrual Tension or |
| the difference in body mass between men and | | | | Pre-Menstrual Stress) and has been found to |
| women. | | | | accelerate the onset of menopause. It has been found |
| 80% of female lung cancer victims are smokers | | | | that women are likely to enter the menopause on |
| compared with 90% of male lung cancer victims. This | | | | average 2 years earlier than non-smoking women and |
| is thought to be as a result of some metabolic | | | | are at increased risk of developing osteoporosis, a |
| difference between men and women, but female | | | | debilitating disease suffered by women which sees |
| smokers should not consider the lower percentage as | | | | their bones decay and 'shrink' as they grow older. |
| a blessing. Overall, more than 90% of lung cancer | | | | Smoking also has an aging effect on smokers, most |
| patients, whether male or female, are dead within 5 | | | | noticeably in the wrinkling of the skin. The toxins in |
| years of diagnosis as a direct result of their smoking. | | | | cigarette smoke are known to harm the metabolism |
| Social class plays a role in death rates as a result of | | | | of the skin as well as promoting the drying of the skin |
| lung cancer too. The lowest social classes of men are | | | | itself. Coupled to this, smoking accelerates the |
| five times more likely to die from lung cancer than the | | | | narrowing of blood vessels providing blood to the skin |
| highest. In women, the lowest social class is twice as | | | | that again reduces its vitality. It is also thought that |
| likely to die from lung cancer as the highest social | | | | some of the chemicals in cigarette smoke increase the |
| class. Obviously, there are significant differences in | | | | production of specific enzymes that break down |
| smoking habits between these social classes but also | | | | collagen, the underlying substance that gives skin a |
| other mitigating factors such as diet and alcohol | | | | youthful appearance and feel. It is also thought that |
| consumption may play a role too. | | | | smoking and the incidence of psoriasis are linked. |
| Women greatly increase the risk of cervical cancer | | | | Finally, excess weight in female smokers tends |
| along with all the other forms of cancer that are | | | | towards the upper torso and around the organs of the |
| known to be more prevalent in smokers. These include | | | | body, rather than around the legs and hips. Female |
| cancers of the mouth, lip and throat, cancer of the | | | | smokers have a lower waist to hip ratio making them |
| pancreas, bladder cancer, cancer of the kidney, | | | | statistically less curvaceous or feminine looking. The |
| stomach cancer, liver cancer and leukaemia. | | | | weight gain (if any) after smoking cessation tends |
| Women who smoke put their children at much higher | | | | away from the upper torso and with time, body fat |
| risk than those who don't although any child should be | | | | tends towards the hips, buttocks and legs, away from |
| protected from exposure to cigarette smoke | | | | the organs and heart. This is though to greatly reduce |
| regardless. Smoking during pregnancy leads to an | | | | the risk of heart disease in women who quit smoking. |