FETUSES REACTS. TO MOTHER'S SMOKING

The impact of a mother's smoking can
be seen on the face of her unborn baby,
new research suggests.
Scientists at Durham and Lancaster
Universities in England performed high-
definition 4-D ultrasound scans on
fetuses between 24 weeks and 36 weeks
gestation and spotted distinctive
differences in those whose mothers
smoked. They say their findings add to
the evidence that smoking may harm a
developing fetus.
"Technology means we can now see
what was previously hidden, revealing
how smoking affects the development of
the fetus in ways we did not realize," co-
author Brian Francis, a professor at
Lancaster University, said in a press
statement.
The study, published in the journal Acta
Paediatrica , involved 20 pregnant
women; four were smokers who
averaged about 14 cigarettes a day, and
16 were non-smokers. Each woman
underwent four ultrasound scans over a
three-month period.
The researchers say the fetuses whose
mothers smoked showed a much higher
rate of mouth movements, suggesting
that their central nervous systems,
which control such movement, did not
develop at the same rate and in the
same manner as the fetuses of non-
smokers.
"Fetal facial movement patterns differ
significantly between fetuses of mothers
who smoked compared to those of
mothers who didn't smoke," said lead
author Dr Nadja Reissland, of Durham
University's Department of Psychology.
"Our findings concur with others that
stress and depression have a significant
impact on fetal movements, and need to
be controlled for, but additionally these
results point to the fact that nicotine
exposure per se has an effect on fetal
development over and above the effects
of stress and depression."
All of the babies involved in the study
were born healthy. The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention warns
that smoking during pregnancy
increases the risk of preterm delivery
and low birthweight, which can lead to
a range of health problems.
Previous studies have found that infants
exposed to smoking in utero have
delayed speech processing abilities, and
the researchers say the ultrasound scans
may shed light on that aspect of
development.
"This is yet further evidence of the
negative effects of smoking in
pregnancy," Francis said.
The researchers say more studies are
needed, including a look at the impact
fathers' smoking may have on their
unborn children.