This world No Tobacco Day say no to smoking
“Cigarettes always fascinated me since I was a child and I knew sooner or later I would smoke. Then one day under peer pressure I picked one to overcome my breakup and I never stopped. It has been 8 years now,” says a newly married 27-year-old Mannat Arora*. So how did her husband react to this news? “He is a chain smoker so he understood, which I am very grateful for. But now I am facing health problems, my cough is becoming regular and periods irregular,” she adds. Recently a WHO (World Health Organisation) study has highlighted that number of women smokers is increasing rapidly. We highlight why women smokers are at an increased risk of diseases, here are some of them:
Infertility: With age fertility does drop. But by smoking we worsen the situation. According to studies a woman who smokes takes about more than a year to conceive. Many women also have irregular periods, decreased ovulation and premature menopause. The chemicals in cigarettes have a toxic effect on the uterus.
Ages the skin: All those anti-aging creams cant help if you smoke. Smoking makes the skin more prone to sagging. The oxygen deprivation due to smoking makes the skin lose elasticity. Smoking increases fine lines, and wrinkles around the lips, plus dull and dry skin.
Affects the unborn baby: This a no brainer but if you continue to smoke post getting pregnant the unborn baby can get affected by cigarette smoke. Premature birth, low birth weight, miscarriage, and neonatal death are really high.
Increased cancer risk: Smoking ups the chance of developing cervical and breast cancer. I
Connection to heart disease and oral contraceptives: This study boggled our minds too. Oral contraceptives and cigarette can cause major problems in women. As oral contraceptives are medicinal form of hormones and cigarette smoke interferes with their functioning. This increases the chances of heart disease and stroke.
Oral health: Smoking kills good bacteria present in the mouth and this increases oral problems. Decaying teeth, foul breath are often associated with smoking and no amount of chewing gum can help you!
Need to quit smoking? Here are some ayurvedic ways to quit.
*Name has been change
P.S. We do not advocate that only women should stop smoking, men should also stop. But the affects of smoking on women are worse than men but that doesn’t mean that men should smoke!
