Sex-specific risks - Tobacco Free NS

Smoking is linked to unique health problems for people with female reproductive organs.

Quitting smoking is the best thing you can do for your health, particularly if you have female reproductive organs.

Because of your sex-based characteristics, smoking presents some particular health risks.

Cervical cancer

HPV, the virus that causes cervical cancer, is very common. In most cases, it goes away on its own. Smoking weakens your immune system making it more difficult for you to get rid of HPV. Here are ways you can lower your risk of getting cervical cancer:

quit smoking
get regular Pap tests
get the HPV vaccine

Birth control

If you smoke AND take birth control pills, you risk getting a blood clot, a heart attack, or a stroke. Luckily, you can lower this risk in the short and long term.

In the short term, switch to a non-pill form of birth control if you are older than 35.

In the long term, quit smoking.

Pregnancy

Smoking harms your baby’s development before they are born. Children of smokers are often born smaller than those born of non-smokers.

Smoking while pregnant puts your baby at higher risk for these health conditions after they are born:

asthma
ear infections
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Here’s how you can protect your baby:

OK	Good	Better	Best
Cut back as much as you can	Quit anytime during your pregnancy	Quit within the first 3 months of your pregnancy	Quit before you become pregnant.

You are more likely to have heart disease and stroke because of smoking.
Your chances of getting breast cancer are higher than for those who don’t smoke.
As you age, you may have thinner bones and have a greater chance of breaking a bone or getting a hip fracture.
You have a greater chance of getting rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA is an inflammatory, chronic disease that causes swelling and pain in your joints.
You are more likely to get cataracts that will affect your vision. Cataracts are an eye disease where the lens of the eye is cloudy or foggy.