Vaping pregnant: with or without nicotine, what are the dangers?

There electronic cigarette is sometimes used by pregnant women as a transition, to stop smoking during pregnancy. Because, unlike a cigarette, with a vape, there is no combustion that can lead to the production of carbon monoxide in the body, since it is the inhalation of steam. Most also tend to think that vaping is less harmful than a pack of cigarettes.

However, according to a new American study, conducted by researchers from the Colorado School of Medicine and published in September 2023 in the review Developmental Biology, vaping nicotine during pregnancy is as dangerous as smoking cigarettes. According to the researchers, nicotine would have an impact on the development of the bones and lungs of the fetus.

However, tobacco specialist Alice Denoize qualifies the results of this study. “They exposed little mice to 96 mg of nicotine, which is equivalent to nearly 5 packs of cigarettes. In proportion to a human fetus, we would be more at 20 packs of cigarettes a day“, which does not correspond to reality. Moreover, “You have to take into account that this is an American study and the vape in the United States has nothing to do with the French and European vape. The products sold in France are extremely controlled unlike in the USA”, she adds. SO, can you really vape while pregnant? Alice Denoize, tobacco specialist in Paris, and Professor Philippe Deruelle, specialist in gynecology and obstetrics at the Montpellier University Hospital, shed some light on the subject.

Can you vape pregnant?

According to recommendations from health authoritiesalso shared by Pr Philippe Deruelle, the vaporizer should not be used during pregnancy. “The ideal is not to take nicotine during pregnancy”, comments the specialist. But in reality, for some addicted women, the electronic cigarette can be a solution to accompany smoking cessation. With nicotine, it helps to treat the body’s reaction to lack, which leads to stress and irritability in the future mother. “We prefer that a patient vape rather than smoke a cigarette”, completes Alice Denoize.

“We prefer a patient to vape rather than smoke a cigarette”

Can you vape with nicotine during pregnancy?

“Nicotine is not the real problem of the vaper“ up to a certain dose, relates Alice Denoize. “The brain has a capacity for self-titration, that is to say it is used to taking a certain dose of nicotine. In a vape, it will therefore seek to reach this dose to be satiated. We cannot therefore not be in overdose of nicotine, otherwise the pregnant woman would have symptoms of overdose (nausea, vomiting, headaches, dizziness, palpitation, etc.)”, details the tobacco specialist.

Also, “it is necessary to make the difference with the vaporizers sold by the tobacco industry, like the Puff, of which we do not know the composition.” It is therefore essential tohave a medical follow-up if you vape nicotine while pregnant.

During pregnancy, can you smoke an electronic cigarette without nicotine?

For now, no study validated by the French National Authority for Health has confirmed that a vaporizer without nicotine can be used during pregnancy. But on the side of the specialists, the opinions differ. For Professor Deruelle, the problem with the electronic cigarette, with or without nicotine, is that we don’t know what products actually make it up. “The air heated by the vaporizer passes through different places where there are certainly chemical compounds and particles of heavy metals”, he indicates.

The tobacco specialist Alice Denoize has a completely different opinion: “If a pregnant woman wants to use an e-cigarette without nicotine, she can. But simply inhaling the smoke is not going to do anything for her except perpetuate the gesture.” She therefore advises “to be followed to work on his psychic dependence, which would allow him to get rid of the gesture.” She also clarifies: “liquids in France are very controlled. By choosing those that respect the AFNOR standard and by using your vape correctly, avoiding the Dry hit, minimizing health risks.”

What are the dangers of electronic cigarettes during pregnancy?

The electronic cigarette presents certain dangers for the pregnant woman and the foetus. On the future baby, “The nicotine and its derivatives contained in the electronic cigarette will act on several mechanisms, in particular the placenta and the development of the baby’s brain. The two main risks that are assumed are: growth retardation and pathologies of the placenta. Other elements are of course also to be taken into account in the environment of the pregnant woman (work, food, etc.)”, points out Professor Deruelle. “Nicotine induces short-term, but also long-term pathologies over the baby’s 1000-day period and its future health”he adds.

Negative effects can also be observed on the course of pregnancy.. “To my knowledge, we have no elements that formally demonstrate this. But it is certain that nicotine acts on the placenta, the latter is an organ which is at the interface of the woman and the fetus, so can be seen in pregnant women variations in blood pressure, sleep disturbances, some fatigue, irritation of the mucous membranes especially in the mouth, inflammation of the gums“, details the obstetrician-gynecologist.

How to stop vaping while pregnant?

To stop vaping, the mother-to-be can turn to nicotine substitutes : chewing gum, candies or nicotine patches. They have been authorized for pregnant women since 1999, under medical supervision. For Prof. Deruelle, these substitutes should be given priority if the patient is motivated to quit smoking. “It’s always better to take patches or gum than to continue smoking, to slow down the consumption of nicotine”, he declares.

Nicotine substitutes do not present serious risks for pregnant women, because “in these products, the dose of nicotine is controlled and it does not combine with other components”says the expert.

Who to call to stop the electronic cigarette pregnant?

If you are pregnant and want to quit electronic cigarettes, you can first talk to your doctor or midwife, or consult a tobacco specialist near you. You can also call 39 89 to benefit from a free telephone follow-up with an expert from Tobacco Info Service.

Thanks to Alice Denoize, tobacco specialist and coach in Paris, and Professor Philippe Deruelle, specialist in gynecology and obstetrics at the Montpellier University Hospital.