Verified

Under Review

7/29/21, 4:34 PM

Kevin Liao

A 18 y/o G2P1 female at 13 weeks gestation presents for her initial prenatal visit. During the visit, she discloses that she recently started smoking tobacco again due to issues with anxiety and is concerned with how this might affect the pregnancy. Which of these is NOT a potential complication that is strongly linked to her smoking?

Preterm birth

Stillbirth

Placental abruption

Reduced cognitive ability

Correct Answer:

D

The first three complications are strongly associated with tobacco use, with an almost 50% increased risk in stillbirth, 1.5-3.5-fold increase in low birth weight, and 3.5-fold increase in risk of placental abruption. Unlike these, the link between cognitive ability and smoking is less clear with studies that have shown an inverse association between maternal smoking in pregnancy and child cognitive ability often not accounting for confounding variables such as socioeconomic status.

Sources:

Rodriguez, MD. Cigarette and tobacco products in pregnancy: Impact on pregnancy and the neonate. Waltham, MA: UpToDate Inc. https://www.uptodate.com (Accessed on July 29, 2021.)