| Smoking kills 114,000 people per year in the UK and a | | | | premature birth greatly increase the risks of ill-health in |
| growing proportion of these are women. The risks | | | | the child and the failure of that child to thrive. Finally and |
| taken by women in smoking are many fold and are | | | | probably most painfully to any parent, smoking greatly |
| well documented. Of these 114,000 deaths, over | | | | increases the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome |
| 42,000 of them are women.As a group, 23% of all | | | | also referred to as SIDS or cot death.There is a |
| adult women are considered to be regular smokers | | | | prevalence in western society for women to use the |
| compared with 26% of adult men. However, at | | | | contraceptive pill and links have been found between |
| secondary school age, more girls smoke than boys, at | | | | the pill and smokers with respect to a reduction in |
| a rate of 26% to 16% respectively. Arguably this is | | | | good health or a risk of negative side effects. Most |
| because of the false belief that smoking helps weight | | | | notably, women on the pill increase their risk of heart |
| loss and or slimming. As teenage girls are more | | | | attack ten-fold by smoking. There is also a higher |
| susceptible to the social pressure of looking slim, this | | | | incidence of stroke and cardiovascular disease in |
| may well be a promoting factor in the higher | | | | women taking the pill and smoking.Smoking also |
| prevalence of female smokers.Given this similar rate | | | | increases the risk of problematic menstruation (but not |
| of regular smoking at adulthood, women tend to | | | | Pre-Menstrual Tension or Pre-Menstrual Stress) and |
| smoke 2 cigarettes per day less than men, on | | | | has been found to accelerate the onset of |
| average smoking 13 cigarettes compared to men | | | | menopause. It has been found that women are likely to |
| smoking 15. It is possible that this is as a result of the | | | | enter the menopause on average 2 years earlier than |
| difference in body mass between men and | | | | non-smoking women and are at increased risk of |
| women.80% of female lung cancer victims are | | | | developing osteoporosis, a debilitating disease suffered |
| smokers compared with 90% of male lung cancer | | | | by women which sees their bones decay and 'shrink' |
| victims. This is thought to be as a result of some | | | | as they grow older.Smoking also has an aging effect |
| metabolic difference between men and women, but | | | | on smokers, most noticeably in the wrinkling of the skin. |
| female smokers should not consider the lower | | | | The toxins in cigarette smoke are known to harm the |
| percentage as a blessing. Overall, more than 90% of | | | | metabolism of the skin as well as promoting the drying |
| lung cancer patients, whether male or female, are | | | | of the skin itself. Coupled to this, smoking accelerates |
| dead within 5 years of diagnosis as a direct result of | | | | the narrowing of blood vessels providing blood to the |
| their smoking.Social class plays a role in death rates as | | | | skin that again reduces its vitality. It is also thought that |
| a result of lung cancer too. The lowest social classes | | | | some of the chemicals in cigarette smoke increase the |
| of men are five times more likely to die from lung | | | | production of specific enzymes that break down |
| cancer than the highest. In women, the lowest social | | | | collagen, the underlying substance that gives skin a |
| class is twice as likely to die from lung cancer as the | | | | youthful appearance and feel. It is also thought that |
| highest social class. Obviously, there are significant | | | | smoking and the incidence of psoriasis are linked.Finally, |
| differences in smoking habits between these social | | | | excess weight in female smokers tends towards the |
| classes but also other mitigating factors such as diet | | | | upper torso and around the organs of the body, rather |
| and alcohol consumption may play a role too.Women | | | | than around the legs and hips. Female smokers have a |
| greatly increase the risk of cervical cancer along with | | | | lower waist to hip ratio making them statistically less |
| all the other forms of cancer that are known to be | | | | curvaceous or feminine looking. The weight gain (if |
| more prevalent in smokers. These include cancers of | | | | any) after smoking cessation tends away from the |
| the mouth, lip and throat, cancer of the pancreas, | | | | upper torso and with time, body fat tends towards the |
| bladder cancer, cancer of the kidney, stomach cancer, | | | | hips, buttocks and legs, away from the organs and |
| liver cancer and leukaemia.Women who smoke put | | | | heart. This is though to greatly reduce the risk of heart |
| their children at much higher risk than those who don't | | | | disease in women who quit smoking.Pete Howells |
| although any child should be protected from exposure | | | | owns the website and has devised a simple system |
| to cigarette smoke regardless. Smoking during | | | | that will help any smoker quit by giving them the |
| pregnancy leads to an increased risk of miscarriage, | | | | instructions they need to follow to achieve their |
| bleeding during pregnancy, premature birth and hence | | | | ambition to quit. Please visit to find out more about his |
| low weight of babies at birth. Lower birth weight and | | | | incredible process for quitting smoking. |