“The shutdown is a great source of anxiety”

While the ninth edition of No Tobacco Month began on Friday, November 1, it is an opportunity for the 12 million French daily smokers to confront their addiction, including pregnant smokers.

Protecting your future child by fighting against tobacco consumption is the complex struggle that thousands of women face every year.

In 2021, almost 45% of mothers with children aged five or younger had managed to quit smoking at the start or during their pregnancy, while 51% of them had reduced and 4% had neither reduced or quit their consumption according to Public Health France.

Figures which remain high and which demonstrate the obstacles that pregnant smokers face during their pregnancy.

Among these difficulties, Marie Van der Schueren, tobacco specialist at Rouen University Hospital, first identifies that of dependence. “For women who smoke in large doses every day, quitting smoking is a great source of anxiety. The fear of withdrawal, linked to nicotine, is what comes up most often during consultations.“, underlines the doctor.

Added to this dependence is the way those around these women and society view their consumption.

The feeling of guilt is very strong among these women. If they smoke a cigarette in the street with their pregnant belly, eyes will automatically be on them. It’s an added weight on top of their constant stress.

Marie Van der Schueren, medical tobacconist at CHU de Rouen

But the specialist nevertheless emphasizes that the concern of these future mothers for their child is a major motivation to fight against their addiction.

“It’s never too late to quit smoking, even in the third trimester of pregnancy, there are always benefits to be gained. The objective is to support these women by not making them feel guilty, but by providing them with as many solutions as possible.” specifies the doctor.

Patches associated with gums, lozenges, inhalers, sprays, several nicotine substitutes exist to effectively combat addiction. They are also reimbursed on prescription and without ceiling by Health Insurance and can be prescribed by doctors, nurses, midwives or physiotherapists.

“Psychological support is also an important help for these women, we help them understand that stopping or reducing their consumption is far from impossible, even during a period of pregnancy,” recalls Marie Van der Schueren.

Managing your tobacco consumption while pregnant is therefore not a battle doomed to failure and Tobacco Free Month can be an opportunity to take the plunge. In 2024, nearly 90,000 French people have registered for this new edition which will last the entire month of November.