Women and Smoking

Today, about 1 out of every 5 women in America smokes, even though we know smoking is not good for our health¹. At MSU 20% of women report smoking in the past 30 days².

The Surgeon General's 2001 report on women and smoking has important information on the enormous toll smoking takes on women's health. Specific chapters focus on how Women and men respond differently to tobacco.

Motivations to smoke:

• Men and women may start smoking for different reasons. Men report starting to smoke to be more energetic and alert, whereas women start smoking for stress reduction.
• Although fewer adult women than men smoke, the gender gap is decreasing as the number of male smokers declines at a rate faster than the number of female smokers.
• Although high school girls and boys use tobacco products at approximately equal rates, among those who do not smoke, girls were 54% more likely than boys to report that they had considered smoking and therefore could be more susceptible to advertisements for tobacco products.
• When women smoke and drink alcohol, the nicotine appears to enhance the effects of alcohol. In men, the nicotine appears to dilute some of the sedating and intoxicating effects of alcohol.
• Women may be more responsive than men to non-nicotine stimuli associated with smoking, such as social and behavioral cues.
• Women are less successful than men in quitting smoking, although they join smoking cessation groups more often than men for social support.

Health Effects:

• Women experience more severe withdrawal symptoms than men when quitting smoking.

Long Term Health Effects:

• Smoking appears to have a more detrimental effect on cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women than in men.
• Compared to those who have never smoked, women aged 35-52 who smoke 20 cigarettes per day have a 6-fold increased risk of heart attack, while male smokers have a 3-fold increased risk.
• Although women are not typically prone to coronary heart disease (CHD) before menopause, smoking greatly increases the risk of CHD in younger women, likely by inhibiting the amount of estrogen available in the body.
• Smoking appears to increase levels of LDL cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol) in women much more so than in men.
• Women who smoke are more likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than their male counterparts and are more likely to have symptoms of COPD at lower levels of tobacco smoke exposure.
• Smoking appears to increase the risk of diabetes mellitus more for women than for men. Among those who smoke 2 or more packs per day, women have a 74% higher diabetes rate than women who have never smoked; the corresponding increase for men is 45%.

Gynecological Concerns For Women Who Smoke

Cervical Cancer³

• Smoking increases a women's risk of developing cervical cancer. Studies indicate that cigarette products are selectively concentrated in female genitalia.
• Women who smoke are twice as likely as nonsmokers to get cervical cancer.
• REDUCE your risk by not smoking, AND limit your number of sexual partners, because HPV (pre-cancerous cell) can be passed person to person through any skin contact. HPV can be present for years with no symptoms.
• About 4,100 women will die from cervical caner in the United States during 2003.
• Between 1955 and 1992 the number of cervical cancers declined by 74%, due to the increase the number in women seeking the Pap test. See your physician for your yearly Pap testing.
• The cervix is the lower part of the womb or uterus and is commonly referred to the "neck of the womb."
• Cancer of the cervix is a life-threatening condition of which there are two types squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma.
• It is the second most common cancer in women world wide, after breast cancer.

Menstrual Function

• Some studies suggest that cigarette smoking may alter menstrual function by increasing the risks for painful menstruation, secondary amenorrhea (abnormal absence of menstrual), and menstrual irregularity.
• Women smokers have natural menopause at a younger age than do nonsmokers, and they may experience more severe menopausal symptoms.

Reproductive Outcomes