Why Women and their Partners should Stop Smoking, Now!

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Cigarette smoking causes problems for women by increasing their PMS symptoms, causing infertility problems, and risking the health of their babies.  According to a 2008 University of Massachusetts study, smokers are more than twice as likely to develop premenstrual syndrome (PMS) than non-smokers. Women who began smoking before age 15 reported suffering from severe PMS – backaches, bloating, breast tenderness, acne, severe cramps, headaches and mood swings. The smoking habit affects the levels of several hormones involved in the menstrual cycle, such as estrogen and progesterone, and irregular cycles increase with the number of cigarettes smoked. Smokers on birth-control pills are nearly 50% more likely to have spotting or bleeding.

In addition to PMS difficulties, female smokers may have a harder time getting pregnant, and male smokers generally have a low sperm count, so smoking is a danger to your fertility. According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine “Smoking appears to accelerate the loss of eggs and reproductive function and may advance the time of menopause by several years.” The study also showed that genetic mutations of sperm due to smoking may cause infertility. Men who smoke are also at a higher risk for erectile dysfunction, which can hamper your love life considerably.

Not only does smoking cause problems with conception, but it also causes problems in the pregnancy if she conceives. Women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to experience ectopic pregnancies, in which the fertilized egg begins to develop in the fallopian tube instead of the uterus, which can be life-threatening to the mother and fatal to the baby. Cigarette poisons also travel into the placenta, which cuts a significant amount of oxygen flow to your baby. Smoking also causes problems for the baby at birth. According to a National Institutes of Health, their study found that a woman who smokes is also 50% more likely to deliver prematurely. And according to the American Lung Association, cigarette smoking can cause your baby to have birth defects and a lower birth weight.

Cigarette smoking is also detrimental to your children, once their born. Children exposed to second-hand smoke are more likely to develop asthma, and have much higher rates of ear infections, and upper respiratory problems as well. A 2010 British study found that children have an increased tendency for mental health problems when their parents smoke, too.  

These are all very important reasons to stop smoking now, especially if your are a Christian, who believes that your body is the temple of the Lord.  As Christians we should always do our best to stay healthy and live longer to serve the Lord as long as possible.  Not only that, God’s word tells us to “be fruitful and multiply” and smoking certainly doesn’t help us in that respect.  If you’re a smoker, please reconsider! If you’re a Christian Smoker, for God’s sake, stop now!