Are women using e-cigarettes during preconception and/or pregnancy?

New Rochelle, NY, March 16, 2020–A new study of 1,365 racially/ethnically diverse, low-income pregnant women found that 4% reported e-cigarette use. White non-Hispanic women were more likely to use e-cigarettes compared to women who used conventional cigarettes or reported no tobacco product use, according to an article published in Journal of Women’s Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Click here to read the full-text article on the Journal of Women’s Health website through April 16, 2020.

The study entitled “Electronic Cigarette Use During Preconception and/or Pregnancy: Prevalence, Characteristics, and Concurrent Mental Health Conditions” also found that nearly one third of women who reported e-cigarette use had symptoms of depression in pregnancy, which was 4 times that of women who reported no tobacco product use and 2 times that of women who used conventional cigarettes. The long-term health effects of e-cigarettes are not known. However, most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is known to be a harmful reproductive and developmental agent. The coauthors of this study were L. G. Rollins, PhD and colleagues from The Miriam Hospital, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, School of Public Health of Brown University, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Susan G. Kornstein, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Women’s Health and Executive Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women’s Health, Richmond, VA, states: “E-cigarette use has not been shown to be safe during preconception and/or pregnancy, and screening for any type of tobacco product use is recommended. Not only can screening lead to cessation efforts, but Rollins et al. show that women who report e-cigarette use during pregnancy also have a greater likelihood of depressive symptoms, severe mental health conditions, and substance abuse.”

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About the Journal
Journal of Women’s Health, published monthly, is a core multidisciplinary journal dedicated to the diseases and conditions that hold greater risk for or are more prevalent among women, as well as diseases that present differently in women. Led by Editor-in-Chief Susan G. Kornstein, MD, Executive Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women’s Health, Richmond, VA, the Journal covers the latest advances and clinical applications of new diagnostic procedures and therapeutic protocols for the prevention and management of women’s healthcare issues. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Journal of Women’s Health website. Journal of Women’s Health is the official journal of the Society for Women’s Health Research.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including LGBT Health, Transgender Health, Population Health Management, and Breastfeeding Medicine. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 90 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.