Example research essay topic: Smoking During Pregnancy Low Birth Weight - 1,185 words

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Women Smoking During Pregnancy Effects On The Women Smoking During Pregnancy Effects On The Children They Carry Women Smoking During Pregnancy Effects on the Children They Carry: There are many effects that cigarette smoking by pregnant women have on their fetuses. The relationship between maternal smoking and fetal development shows that smoking can induce spontaneous abortion, affect birth weight, and bring about fetal malformations. The long-term effects of smoking while pregnant on the offspring are its influence on growth, the chance of SIDS, respiratory disorders, and behavior. Smoking while pregnant can affect a babys life immediately, through distorted birth weight and fetal malformations, or end it, through spontaneous abortion. Spontaneous abortion has been studied from many angles in order to determine its link to maternal smoking.

Since 1931, many surveys, documents, and studies have been recorded in this area. The results of these reports are all in agreement: smoking while pregnant increases the chance of miscarriage. There isnt one reason for this, that can be applied to every situation, however. Several theories have risen from the numerous experiments. One idea is that placental development may be stunted from the cigarette smoke, which would render the placenta unable to support a fetus.

Another conclusion is that smoking may cause abnormal development of the embryo, but this can rarely be linked directly with smoking. Another possibility is that smoking affects hormonal systems that sustain pregnancy, for example, progesterone, so that the uterus is unable to support implantation. Tests are being done now to find other reasons smoking may induce abortion. One major factor that is probably paid the most attention to regarding this topic is birth weight.

This is because birth weight is a fairly accurate barometer of prenatal development. Another reason is because birth weight is most commonly associated with maternal smoking. The tests involving birth weight have been more successful than those involving spontaneous abortion. Recent studies take into account the sex of the offspring and racial and genetic background. With these factors accounted for, the reductions in birth weight of infants born to smoking mothers range from forty to four hundred and thirty grams less than the birth weights of children born to nonsmoking mothers, with the average being two hundred grams, or seven ounces, less. Also, smoking infants tend to be shorter than nonsmoking infants, approximately 1. 4 centimeters shorter, though the major factor is the weight.

In some studies, the circumference of the infants head was significantly reduced, due to maternal smoking. The low birth weight is also affected by the amount of cigarettes smoked a day. Eight percent of women who smoke one cigarette a day have babies with a low birth weight. Infants born to mothers who smoked while they were pregnant tend to remain below normal in height and weight. The lower the birth rate of an infant is, the greater the chance of perinatal mortality, also logically brought about by maternal smoking.

Spontaneous abortions in early pregnancies are usually associated with malformations and chromosomal aberrations in the developing fetus. A study was made by Name that death rates due to malformations increased when the mother smoked more than ten cigarettes a day. His study included 100 pregnant women who smoked ten cigarettes a day and 100 pregnant women who didnt smoke at all. The conclusion was the stillbirth rate of 1. 72 % for smoking babies as compared to 0. 1 % for nonsmoking babies.

It was established that malformations due to maternal smoking triggered stillbirth. The fetus can also acquire a build-up of patent ductus arterioles, which can cause cardiovascular abnormalities in the future. Also, babies born to smoking mothers are twice as likely to have congenital heart disease when theyre older. The long-term effects smoking while pregnant can have on an infant can affect them for their whole life; in growth, respiratory disorders, and behavior.

It can even end the babys life early, through SIDS. All highly reputed studies on the growth of a smoking infant have come to the same conclusion: babies born to smoking mothers will most likely have less height and weight than that of a nonsmoking infant. On the average, a one-year-old born to a smoking mother will be. 3 kg lighter than its smoke-free peer. At the age of four, nonsmoking children will generally be about. 9 cm taller than a smoking four-year-old.

This idea consists through the age of seven in most reports, but few of the studies found any significant height or weight difference between smoking and nonsmoking children by the age of ten. SIDS, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, occurs in approximately 2. 5 out of 1000 live births. The name refers to the sudden, often unexplained death of an infant, usually between one and four months old. It is presently the leading cause of death in infants under one year old in the United States. Five major studies, conducted recently, show that maternal smoking greatly increases the probability of SIDS. In one study, 125 children stricken by crib death were compared with 325 infants, matched for place of birth, gestational age, date of birth, sex, race, and socioeconomic status.

The results showed that women who had smoked during their pregnancy were more likely to die from SIDS than nonsmokers, and the likelihood increased greatly when the mother smoked more than six cigarettes per day. Other investigators have suggested that the syndrome may result from factors producing a harmful environment for the developing fetus, which would include maternal smoking. Three large-scale studies have been conducted to demonstrate an association between maternal smoking and respiratory disorders. Especially important is the increased occurrence of pneumonia among children of smokers. One result from these tests is the possibility that prenatal smoking and the exposure to this smoke may have lowered the resistance of these children to subsequent infections. Smoking babies have a lower amount of lympocytotoxins at the time of birth than nonsmoking babies.

This lessened amount of lympocytotoxins could make the children less resistant to bacterial and viral infections. The final long-term effect of maternal smoking on the offspring involves behavior. The first major study showed that infants who had been exposed to nicotine while in the womb were less visually alert than nicotine-free babies. They also appeared more dazed, and yawned and sneezed more.

In another study, it was noted that smoking babies had a weaker suck, took longer to begin sucking, and took longer to complete sucking. One study consisted of follow-up sessions with 462 four-year-olds with both smoking an nonsmoking mothers. All the children were from Caucasian, middle-class suburban families. The study showed that smokers offspring were more likely to approach strangers, exhibit negative behavior when upset, and were more stubborn and persistent. Other studies showed that behavioral patterns in smoking children were apparent for many years and could easily affect the children for their entire lives. These are the major effects of maternal cigarette smoking on the fetus.

I think it can be easily stated that smoking while pregnant can be detrimental to the childs future, and can affect their whole being for the worse. 389

Research essay sample on Smoking During Pregnancy Low Birth Weight