HARMFUL EFFECTS OF SMOKING ON WOMEN HEALTH

Cigarette smoking is harmful is many ways on women health. Cigarette smoke contains hundreds of harmful chemicals including cyanide, carbon monoxide and ammonia .These chemicals are harmful to organs. Smoking is a leading cause of cancer of many types, for example cancer of lungs, food pipe, mouth, tongue, throat, stomach, colon, rectum, liver, kidney, pancreas, uterus and also blood cancer. Smoking causes heart diseases which are angina and heart attack.

How smoking can affect the health?

• Heart attack is more frequent and more severe is smokers.
• Smoking affects the lung tissues by causing COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).
• It also causes diabetes (High Blood Sugar), Osteoporosis or weakened bones, joint diseases.
• Smoking leads to high risk of infections like pneumonia and tuberculosis.
• Smoking also reduces the maturity of the body to fight infections.
• Smoking affects the fertility in women by increasing the risk of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy.
• Possibility of premature delivery, low birth weight babies and congenital defects such as cleft lips, etc are increased. There is an increased risk of infants suddenly dying. Thus smoking is the leading cause of preventable death universally.

How quitting smoking can benefit you?

Smokers can substantially reduce their risk of disease including cancer is quitting. Smokers can quit the disease at any stage.  Even after 20 minutes of quitting the cigarette, the benefits start to show in your body. The heart rate begins to drop back to normal after about two hours. Blood pressure also trends towards normal.

In as few as 12 hours after quitting smoking, the carbon monoxide in the body decreases, helping your body as the amount of oxygen is body increases drastically.

The risk of heart disease begins to reduce in 24 hrs. Moreover after quitting smoking for more than 48 hours, there is improvement in smell and taste sensations. So, one starts appreciating the finer things in life. Though there may be some withdrawal symptoms, strong will power and medical support can help tide over the phase.

After one month one feels lighter, experiences less coughing and shortness of breath.In about 5 Years time decreased risk of brain stroke is appreciable. In 10 years the risk of lung cancer will drop. In 15 years risk of heart disease is same as a nonsmoker. Long term benefits of quitting smoking are significant and can increase the life expectancy.