Smoking takes 14.5 years off a woman’s life

Washington, November 28: Smoking takes away 14.5 years from a woman’s life, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG) that is trying to motivate women to work towards quitting the habit of smoking.

The month of November is being devoted to spread awareness about lung cancerdefine and has been named as Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Statistics show that one in five American women aged 18 and above are smokers.

Dr. Sharon Phelan, who helped in developing ACOG’s smoking cessation materials for health care providers, said, “The damaging effects of smoking on women are extensive, well-documented, and can be observed from the cradle to the premature grave.” She further added, “Smoking is a harmful habit that negatively affects nearly every organ in the body. There’s just no good reason not to quit.”

According to ACOG, there are many dangers associated with smoking. Some of these are:

1. Smoking is the major reason for cancer death in women. It is also the leading cause of lung cancer.
2. Women smokers are at a high risk for many other types of cancers. These include breast, oral, pharynx, larynxdefine, esophageal, pancreatic, kidney, bladderdefine, uterine and cervical cancers.
3. Smoking also heightens the chances of emphysema, bronchitis, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, cataract, lower bone density after menopause and hip fracture. It is the major contributing factor in early menopause, gum disease, premature skin ageing and tooth loss.
4. Women smokers who are in the reproductive age can face trouble in conceiving. Moreover, women who smoke during pregnancy are at a big risk of delivering premature babies or babies with poor lung function, bronchitis or asthma.

As per ACOG, cancer deaths among women have risen up by more than 600 percent since 1950. It has also been known that women who smoke and take birth control pills after they have crossed 35 can develop life threatening blood clots.

Also, the risk of developing coronary heart disease doubles in women who smoke. There is a probability that such women are ten times more likely to die from chronic obstructive pulmonarydefine disease (COPD).

Phelan said, “Pregnant women should absolutely not smoke, and smoking should not be allowed in the home after a baby is born.” She also added, “Unfortunately, we know that infants and young children are more heavily exposed to second hand smoke than adults and parents, guardians, or other members of the household often smoke around them.”