Associations between vaping during pregnancy and perinatal outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Summary & key facts

The authors combined results from 23 studies to compare people who vaped during pregnancy with those who did not. Together the studies included about 925,000 people, but only about 7,500 were women who vaped and did not smoke. The analysis found that vaping in pregnancy was linked with about a 50 percent higher chance of problems for both mothers and babies. For babies, vaping was linked with more low birth weight, more preterm births, and more babies who were smaller than expected for their age. For mothers, vaping was linked with lower breastfeeding and less adequate prenatal care. The studies were observational and varied a lot, so the findings show an association but do not prove that va

Key facts:

• The review combined 23 studies and about 925,000 people to look at outcomes tied to vaping during pregnancy.
• Only about 7,500 women out of the total were reported to have vaped only during pregnancy, rather than smoked or used other products.
• Overall, prenatal vaping was linked to about a 50 percent higher chance of having an adverse outcome for the mother.
• Vaping in pregnancy was linked with about a 50 percent higher chance of an adverse outcome for the baby.
• Babies whose mothers vaped during pregnancy were about 1.6 times as likely to be born with low birth weight.
• Vaping during pregnancy was linked to about 1.5 times the chance of being born preterm, and about 1.5 times the chance of being small for gestational age.
• For mothers, prenatal vaping was linked to lower rates of breastfeeding and to a lower chance of receiving adequate prenatal care.
• The studies varied in their methods and results, and because they were observational they cannot prove that vaping caused these problems.
• The authors said these findings support urgent attention to raising awareness and to policies that address vaping during pregnancy.

Topics

Employment and Welfare Studies Global Public Health Policies and Epidemiology Sex work and related issues

Categories

Social Sciences Sociology and Political Science

Tags

Biochemistry Biology Genetics Internal medicine Medicine MEDLINE Meta-analysis Obstetrics Pregnancy

Substances

Other