Pregnant Smokers Struggle to Quit with Nicotine Patches: Study

Though smoking may be a hard habit to quit, for pregnant women, the need to give up the use of tobacco products could play an essential part in their future child's health.

Yet a recent study shows that nicotine patches may not be the best option for those looking to quit and expecting.

For the study, researchers examined 402 pregnant women for 12 to 20 weeks in France and who smoked at least five cigarettes per day. They were randomly selected whether to use 16-hour nicotine patches until giving birth to the baby. Control groups, on the other hand, received inactive placebo patches.

The women also received counseling regarding smoking and the health advantages of quitting, all assessed on a monthly basis.

Findings showed that around 5.5 percent of the women managed to quit who were given the nicotine patch. However, for those who received the inactive placebo, 5.1 percent were also able to quite.

"These are disappointing results, and should encourage efforts to evaluate new approaches that are both drug- and non-drug-related," said Dr. Ivan Berlin, of the Hopital Pitie-Salpetriere-Universite in Paris and collageues, via WebMD. "In the absence of evidence-based drug interventions, behavioral support remains the core intervention to help pregnant smokers to quit."

Study authors also note that blood pressure should be considered in future studies regarding nicotine replacement and pregnant smokers.

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More information regarding the study can be found via the BMJ.