Does smoking affect sex hormones? Smoking and ovarian hormones. The effect of smoking on the female body in facts and figures

The harmful effects of nicotine on the body are no secret. The statistics of smokers is growing from year to year. If a man with a cigarette does not cause any special reaction in society, then women’s smoking is often condemned, and this is not at all due to discrimination. Every fifth resident of our country has a similar addiction, so smokers should know how smoking affects a woman’s body, and what irreversible processes begin after 30 years of experience.

How dangerous is smoking for a woman?

The emergence of a habit

in adolescence, the main reason is the environment: schoolgirls think that a cigarette is “cool” and fashionable;
youthful contradiction: daughters often start smoking to spite their parents, thus trying to prove that they are already adults and can do whatever they want;
pressure from society or assimilation to it: when a person finds himself in a smoking environment, he sooner or later becomes part of it - in the vast majority of cases, students living in a dormitory are at risk; by the 3rd year, 75% of girls are smokers;
part of the style: languid heroines of old films with a long cigarette in their hand look so sexy, so modern girls, armed with a menthol cigarette, try to resemble their screen images;
alternative to food: young ladies losing weight, every time they want to reach for a piece of food, they replace it with a nicotine puff - they believe that smoking slows down metabolic processes and therefore eliminates the feeling of hunger;
relieving stress, boredom: alkaloids entering the blood along with smoke cause a temporary feeling of relaxation, this is a good way to while away leisure time and kill time;
relaxation in society and the desire to relax: a cigarette in hand is a way for a girl to find some psychological support through smoking.

For the most part, the reasons why female smoking develops are not too different from those that are typical for representatives of the stronger sex: relaxation, inclusion in society, part of the image.

However, later addiction sets in, and then innocent fun turns into real addiction.

Prognosis for the body

Smoking affects women especially negatively, causing the main harm respiratory system. It's no secret what a smoker's lungs look like compared to the same organ of a non-smoker. Attention! The female body is more susceptible to the influence of cigarettes, and the development of diseases as a consequence of the habit is almost inevitable. Smoking women suffer from pulmonary obstruction 5 times more often than smoking men. Nicotine, by increasing the heart rate, again causes tachycardia in women.

Smoking causes hair loss

Long-term smoking develops problems with the retina and, in especially severe cases, can lead to blindness. Decreased estrogen production leads to weakening of the female brain. So the myth about “stupidity” from smoking is not a joke.

Changes in the body's functioning

A representative of the fairer sex with a cigarette in her hands is not only unattractive. Inhaled nicotine kills the feminine principle in her. You need to know how smoking affects women.

Reduces the chance of getting pregnant. The remaining tars that enter the body with nicotine accumulate in the egg, and it gradually loses its main properties. The onset of menopause and effects on hormonal levels are likely, since cigarette toxins kill female hormones. It has been proven that when a woman smokes about a pack a day for a long time, her ability to conceive is significantly reduced.
Risk during pregnancy. A heavy smoker has a greater risk of miscarriage than a non-smoker. Excessive use Nicotine leads to oxygen starvation of the placenta: the blood vessels narrow and red blood cells cannot supply oxygen. And if a woman does not give up her habit during pregnancy, then the likelihood of a miscarriage increases significantly.
Risk of placenta expulsion. In smokers, it may also move from a position on the side of the cervix to directly above it. Childbirth threatens to be difficult, with an unpredictable outcome.
A baby born to a smoker may have congenital pathologies, associated with the endocrine system, heart disease, as well as physical and mental retardation.
Taking hormonal contraceptives simultaneously with regular smoking increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and sudden heart attack.

When planning a pregnancy, the expectant mother should quit the bad habit at least six months before the expected conception. The same goes for her partner. If we consider the problem from a moral point of view, it becomes obvious that a child of smoking parents will also pick up a cigarette in adolescence.

Beauty killer

The effect of smoking on female body is not limited to just harm to health. It would be more accurate to say that changes inside the body cannot help but “crawl out” to the outside. Damage is also caused to appearance, which is perceived by most girls as a much more terrible consequence.

Think about it, girls!

The skin of smokers ages very quickly as a result of vasoconstriction from nicotine, and constant oxygen starvation keeps the epidermis in a state of stress. The result of years of daily smoking large quantity cigarettes - dull skin of an unhealthy color, aging prematurely. The first wrinkles appear and bags under the eyes appear. Similar changes are “obvious” after 1-2 years of smoking experience.

A smoker will have to sacrifice a beautiful tan in the summer. It is known that exposure to ultraviolet rays accelerates the aging process of the entire body. For a nicotine lover, 5 minutes spent in the sun is enough for tissue oxidation to begin.

The teeth of a woman who smokes have a characteristic yellow, they also become victims of periodic caries. Nails suffer from brittleness, and hair loses shine and moisture.

The risk of such consequences will force many girls to reconsider their habits. Neither of them is ready to sacrifice their appearance.

Myths and realities

Certain attitudes are popular in women's circles, justifying their addiction or even luring them to it.

“Light” cigarettes are no less harmful. Nicotine is equally destructive to the body in any form. The inscription “light” is just an advertising ploy, nothing more.
Often girls do not dare to quit smoking because they are afraid of sudden weight gain. The problem here lies in returning a healthy appetite. At first, someone who quits smoking will want to keep themselves busy with something. In this case, sports will come to the rescue in the form of light exercises.
Smoking does not help you concentrate and organize your thoughts. Nicotine kills brain cells. The process of absorbing resins doesn’t help relieve stress either, it’s all an illusion. Short-term relaxation is not worth the panic that a smoker experiences when he does not have a pack of cigarettes.
The most common myth about smoking is that an addict can quit his habit at any time. Women are much more susceptible to such addiction, so fighting it becomes a very difficult process. Isn't it better not to start smoking at all?

Conclusion

Today when in fashion healthy image In real life, a smoking girl may only appear sexy in a staged photo. Beauty is inseparable from health appearance. Voluntarily causing harm to yourself and your future children is unacceptable. Needless to say that a woman’s body and smoking are incompatible?

Women's health should come first for anyone planning children in the future, and a negative habit has a dangerous effect on the reproductive system.

Modern science provides thousands of evidence that smoking has a detrimental effect on human body. This is proven by studies with careful sampling and numerous resets of statistics.

Healthy and smoking are practically incompatible things due to the effect of nicotine on the corresponding brain receptors.

This leads to rapid addiction and weak production of a substance similar to it in the body. How do smoking and hormones interact? And why are cigarettes in the hands of women and men fraught with serious damage to reproductive function?

Impact on the endocrine system in the long and short term

The cigarette also has positive aspects that are often overlooked. The problem is that any positive effect on the endocrine system is short-term.

And all the negativity that smoldering tobacco carries remains with people forever. for a long time, and some of it is completely forever. What is the positive effect on the endocrine system?

Positive effects of nicotine on the body and endocrine system

First of all, the amount of hormone increases, which is responsible for part of cognitive abilities and, of course, for pleasure. This happens in leaps and bounds:

after 20–40 minutes the person will feel exhausted;
the feeling of euphoria goes away;
thoughts slow down a little (this effect will last for 1 hour or even 1 day, depending on your experience);
dopamine is released in smaller quantities after smoking, compensating for the previous excess.

Nicotine is also a short-acting nootropic, that is, for a short period of time a person remembers information faster, concentrates more easily and is able to remember in large volumes.

But this effect is observed only in experienced smokers, while beginners may experience dizziness and clouding of consciousness due to a sharp hormonal surge.

Negative effects of nicotine

In the long term, when smoking, people only “raise” their cognitive abilities and the concentration of certain hormones to the previous level that was before they started smoking, and due to our body’s desire for a constant increase in dopamine, inherent in evolution, a constant increase is required drug dosages.

Due to disorders associated with testosterone and obtaining enough of the happy hormone, metabolism can speed up or slow down, which also leads to an excess or deficiency of other hormones secreted by internal organs.

Thus, the entire hormonal system begins to suffer.

All this is associated with changes in the endocrine system. And the reproductive function of men depends on the level of the same testosterone, which leads to serious problems.

Effect on the reproductive system

Due to the biochemical processes occurring in the cerebral cortex, male smokers begin to suffer from problems with potency; sperm is produced in smaller quantities, while being more rarefied. And also the number of “defective” sperm increases several times.

That is why many doctors, having heard about problems with pregnancy in women, advise their husbands to quit smoking. The fact is that by changing the body at the hormonal level (and this is done not only by nicotine, but also by many carcinogens contained in ordinary cigarettes for a longer smoldering period), the concentration of testosterone in a man’s blood also decreases.

Because of this, athletes who smoke suffer from recruiting problems. muscle mass, A ordinary people begin to notice sexual dysfunctions that never happened before.

Along with testosterone, the production of estrogen also decreases, which is already dangerous for the fairer sex. That is why it is necessary to quit a bad habit six months before pregnancy and forget about it as long as the woman continues to breastfeed her baby.

By influencing certain receptors in the cerebral cortex, toxic substances slow down the body's production of certain hormones, sending false signals about their excess.

In turn, the liver, trying to free the blood from harmful substances, accelerates its work and, among other things, the decomposition of the same hormones. And the result of such a “double” attack on the endocrine system can be:

shot down menstrual cycle;
frequent pain in the abdominal area;
the appearance of menopause, shifted 2–3 years earlier.

Effect on FSH

All active substances in a cigarette or hookah tobacco affect blood levels. This leads to disturbances in the functioning of the gonads and creates problems with conception.

Elevated FSH is one of the most common causes of infertility. Artificial insemination does not always save you from this, but to achieve results in this process it is necessary to undergo a long course to restore the entire hormonal system.

This is due to polycyclic aromatic carbohydrates, which begin to act as a catalyst, accelerating egg necrosis.

Well, the most dangerous thing for pregnant women is that the content of oxytocin in the blood begins to increase. And this, in turn, can lead to sad consequences, from mechanical injuries to the fetus to involuntary uterine contractions, which can cause premature termination of pregnancy. Therefore, for women who smoke, the chances of becoming pregnant are almost equal to those with one ovary removed.

This is precisely what explains such inflated statistics of people who have experienced strokes and heart attacks among smokers, as well as the large number of diseases of the endocrine system they have. From this it follows that the health of the endocrine system and smoking are in no way compatible.

Testosterone is the most important hormone in the male body. The content of this compound in the blood directly affects the amount of muscle mass, strength, endurance, sex drive and other physical indicators of a man. General state health depends entirely on the amount of testosterone in the blood. Throughout the day, the level of testosterone in the blood of a healthy man can vary, as some factors can reduce it, but 11-13 nmol is considered normal. A decrease in testosterone levels can lead to a deterioration in health and quality of life. Despite the fact that testosterone is produced by the body in sufficient quantities, there are a number of factors that can affect its level in the blood. More recently, a relationship has been identified between smoking and decreased testosterone levels. Nicotine has a negative effect on most body systems, so it is not at all surprising that this bad habit can negatively affect hormonal levels.

What substances from tobacco smoke can affect testosterone levels?

Cigarettes contain a lot of harmful substances that can negatively affect the functioning of the reproductive organs and, accordingly, the aging process. Many representatives of the stronger sex believe that cigarettes do not cause any harm to testosterone levels, but in fact this opinion is not entirely correct. The thing is that the influence of smoking cannot be noticed with the naked eye, because changes occur over a long period of time.

So, in order to understand the mechanism of the influence of smoking on the male reproductive system and the level of testosterone in the blood, you must first understand what toxins and poisons are contained in a cigarette.

Nicotine.
Cadmium.
Benzene.
Resin.
Polonium-210.
Ammonia.
Carbon monoxide.
Arsenic.
Formaldehyde.
Acetone.
Lead.
Nickel.
Styrene

These are not all the substances that enter the smoker’s body literally every 20 minutes, that is, with each new cigarette. Nicotine and other substances contained in cigarette smoke lead to poisoning of the testicles and prostate gland, which significantly reduces their function. The substances contained in cigarettes negatively affect all organs and tissues involved in the production of testosterone, and in addition, contribute to the rapid oxidation of testosterone produced in the body.

The mechanism of testosterone reduction due to smoking

Scientific research shows that smoking can lead to a sharp increase in testosterone in the blood, provided that the person has not previously smoked. This effect is very short-lived, and after 2-3 cigarettes the body begins to get used to the increased nicotine content in the blood. In addition, this is the beginning of slowing down the production of testosterone, accelerating its breakdown and a number of other processes that lead to a decrease in the level of the main male hormone in the blood. The mechanism of this effect is very simple.

The whole secret lies in the fact that during the first puffs, the body reacts to nicotine as a powerful stimulant, which leads to the stimulation of the pituitary gland and the production of all types of hormones. However, later the reaction to nicotine as a stimulant disappears, as addiction sets in. When it comes to smokers with “experience,” on the contrary, there is a significant decrease in the level of male hormones.

There are many reasons that can reduce the level of hormones in the blood. Firstly, with a long period of smoking, there is a serious increase in the level of toxins in the body, which interfere with the production of the hormone gonatropin. Gonatropin is the most important substance involved in the synthesis of testosterone. Secondly, nicotine and other toxic substances help reduce metabolic rate and lead to the destruction of many elements, which is why the body’s production of many hormones, including testosterone, slows down.

The adrenal cortex plays an important role in the production of testosterone, which suffers greatly from toxic substances that enter the body along with cigarette smoke. Poisoned adrenal glands are unable to produce sufficient levels of testosterone and other sex hormones. As a result, blood tests indicate a decrease in both free and total testosterone.

It is these processes that lead to a chain reaction, because as soon as the level of this hormone in the blood decreases, a loss of tone in the tissues of the testicles and prostate gland, which in their normal state send signals to the pituitary gland to produce hormones that are components for the synthesis of more complex hormones, can immediately be noted. sex hormone - testosterone.

Decreased organ tone genitourinary system men leads to an even greater drop in the level of the hormone in the blood.

During this period, all the symptoms of a decrease in the level of sex hormones are observed, including a decrease in muscle mass and libido. All these processes can be extended over a long time, so most men prefer to attribute all the negativity to age-related changes.

How to speed up hormonal recovery after smoking

A decrease in the level of hormones in the blood leads to rapid aging of the body and causes the development of a number of diseases of the genitourinary system in men. However, in reality the situation is not as hopeless as it might seem.

The thing is that if a man quits smoking, even if he has been a heavy smoker for several years, he has the opportunity to bring the level of testosterone in the blood to the highest levels. high readings norms. Even if you do not take certain measures, in just a few months the level of hormones in the blood will return to normal, but if desired, this process can be accelerated significantly. There are several recommendations that can significantly speed up the return to normal levels of hormones in men.

First, you should improve your diet to include vegetables. Vegetables contain a large amount of vitamins, amino acids and fiber, which help bind and remove harmful substances that enter the body along with cigarette smoke. Secondly, physical training is necessary to speed up the return of testosterone levels to normal. Physical exercise allows you to speed up metabolism, as well as the removal of toxins trapped in fat and muscle tissue. In this case, the recovery process will have a chain reaction. First, the level of hormones, which are the basis for the production of the main male hormone, will increase, then as toxic substances are removed, the function of the adrenal glands will improve. Lastly, there is an improvement in the tone of the representative gland and testicular tissue.

Smoking affects the body of both sexes. Male reproductive function suffers due to the fact that nicotine leads to a decrease in sperm production and a change in its density. Additionally, it results in increased morphology. In men who smoke, the reproductive process is disrupted due to a decrease in the quality and motility of sperm. In addition, nicotine has been proven to affect testosterone levels in the blood, which can lead to sexual dysfunction.

What is the effect of tobacco on the female body? The effect of nicotine extends to estrogens - sex hormones that are needed for the appearance and gestation of pregnancy. Their number is significantly reduced.

Besides, chemical compounds and toxic substances found in cigarette smoke slow down the formation of hormones that affect the menstrual cycle and lead to the destruction of existing ones. Ultimately, disruptions begin during menstruation, and severe pain and menopause occurs faster.

Also, nicotine leads to an increase in follicle-stimulating hormone, which affects the functioning of the sex glands.

The result of this process is a decrease in the likelihood of conception. The mechanism of destruction of the egg is launched.

Tobacco smoke can affect female reproductive function in such a way that oxytocin vasopressin begins to be intensively produced, leading to a reflex contraction of the uterus, which can cause problems during pregnancy, including its termination. What are the chances of a smoking woman getting pregnant? The same as the one that has only one ovary.

It is also worth noting that a bad habit also affects the smoker’s brain. The nervous system is under the negative influence of nicotine. Danger arises when the supply stops another dose. Then the body begins to rebel, the woman becomes aggressive and irritated. Nicotine enters the brain within 8 seconds after the first puff. It begins to constrict blood vessels, which impedes the flow of blood to the nerve cells. This can lead to headaches. In addition, the brain begins to produce the hormone of joy - endorphin, and this leads to the formation of nicotine addiction.

What hormones are negatively affected by smoking and what can this lead to?

Does smoking affect hormonal levels in men? Definitely. In both sexes, the level of sex hormones increases, which can lead to an increase in biological age. Nicotine leads to sleep disturbances and worsening general well-being person.

In addition, this substance has a negative effect on follicle-stimulating hormone, which increases the concentration of estrogen in the blood. This is dangerous because an increase in the amount of estrogen can lead to the formation of blood clots and cause thrombosis. This disease can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Women over 35 years of age are at risk, since the habit of smoking increases the risk of thromboembolic deposits by 4 times.

Note that when smoking 10-15 cigarettes a day, female representatives are prohibited from taking hormonal pills, as they increase the amount of estrogen in the blood. This is very dangerous for blood vessels.

If suddenly there are painful sensations in the legs and calves, lower abdomen and chest area, and also began to suffer from migraines, this indicates an increase in the level of this hormone. Therefore, it is necessary to make an appointment with a doctor.

Many people think that nicotine calms the nerves and reduces stress from smoking, however, this is a temporary relief. It, like a real toxic substance, penetrates nerve cells, inhibiting some mental processes. As a result, temporary calm occurs.

However, once the nicotine wears off, the person experiences:

even greater horror;
emotional arousal;
anxiety.

All these sensations are fueled by the thought that cigarettes may run out, or there will not be a suitable moment to smoke. It is not difficult to guess that this entails additional worries and stress, so it is naive to believe that cigarettes calm the nerves.

The harmful effects of nicotine on nervous system a person can be considered the fact that whenever a smoker is denied the opportunity to take a drag from a cigarette, this causes rage, trembling of hands, nervousness and other unpleasant symptoms in him.

Pseudo-help of cigarettes for stress

Nicotine is a stress factor because:

This is a toxic substance, therefore, like any drug, it is addictive. The dose has to be increased, and the lack of nicotine itself puts pressure on the nervous system.
Poisoning the body with the toxic component contained in a cigarette leads to the fact that the cells do not have enough oxygen. This reduces productivity, the ability to control your emotions and causes additional stress.
Psychological factor. A person gets very used to holding a cigarette in his hands several times a day, so on a subconscious level he can no longer quit this bad habit. This causes psychological discomfort and nervous agitation.

As we can conclude, cigarettes do not calm the nerves, but, on the contrary, have an extremely negative effect on them.

Prognosis for the body

Smoking has a particularly negative effect on women, causing major harm to the respiratory system. It's no secret what a smoker's lungs look like compared to the same organ of a non-smoker. Attention! The female body is more susceptible to the influence of cigarettes, and the development of diseases as a consequence of the habit is almost inevitable. Smoking women suffer from pulmonary obstruction 5 times more often than smoking men. Nicotine, by increasing the heart rate, again causes tachycardia in women.

Smoking causes hair loss

#2 Smoking limits muscle growth

According to a 2007 study¹, smoking directly increases myostatin levels in the body. Myostatin, in turn, is a peptide that limits the growth of muscle tissue. Blocking myostatin causes significant muscle hypertrophy, and its increase causes a decrease in muscle mass.

By producing myostatin, the body thereby limits the ability of muscle cells to grow, and smoking spurs myostatin production even more - by 33-45% according to research. As a result, your results will always be lower compared to non-smoking athletes.

The danger of elevated hormone levels

Constant increased level of both female and male sex hormones increases a woman’s biological age by 10 years. This means that a 30-year-old woman who smokes is at risk for the same diseases as a 40-year-old non-smoker. Also, due to nicotine addiction, early menopause may occur, not to mention menstrual irregularities.

TO alarming symptoms symptoms that indicate health problems caused by increased estrogen include pain in the legs and calves, headache, pain in the lower abdomen, dull pain in the chest. In this case, you need to consult a doctor.

In addition, many researchers believe that as a result of the negative impact of smoking on the hormonal system, sleep can be disrupted, or more precisely, the alternation of sleep phases necessary for proper rest.

#3 Smoking increases cortisol levels

According to most studies, smoking either has little effect on testosterone levels or (bingo!) causes a slight increase of about 10%. However, with its antagonist, cortisol, things were not so rosy. Scientific work 2006 confirmed: smoking increases its level. In turn, this hormone breaks down muscle and causes fat accumulation.

Correcting the situation is quite simple - you need to quit smoking. A more recent study from 2014² strongly supports this solution: when stopping a habit salivary cortisol levels decreased significantly.

Changes in the body's functioning

A representative of the fairer sex with a cigarette in her hands is not only unattractive. Inhaled nicotine kills the feminine principle in her. You need to know how smoking affects women.

Reduces the chance of getting pregnant. The remaining tars that enter the body with nicotine accumulate in the egg, and it gradually loses its main properties. The onset of menopause and effects on hormonal levels are likely, since cigarette toxins kill female hormones. It has been proven that when a woman smokes about a pack a day for a long time, her ability to conceive is significantly reduced.
Risk during pregnancy. A heavy smoker has a greater risk of miscarriage than a non-smoker. Excessive consumption of nicotine leads to oxygen starvation of the placenta: the blood vessels narrow and red blood cells cannot supply oxygen. And if a woman does not give up her habit during pregnancy, then the likelihood of a miscarriage increases significantly.
Risk of placenta expulsion. In smokers, it may also move from a position on the side of the cervix to directly above it. Childbirth threatens to be difficult, with an unpredictable outcome.
A baby born to a smoker may have congenital pathologies associated with the endocrine system, heart disease, as well as physical and mental retardation.
Taking hormonal contraceptives simultaneously with regular smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and sudden heart attack.

Cortisol, nervous agitation and smoking

Cortisol is a hormone that is released by the adrenal glands into the blood at times of danger, overexcitement and emotional shock. The body seems to create a protective barrier, providing the body with an increased dose of stress hormone.

However, in a smoker’s body soaked in nicotine, the rise in cortisol occurs only due to the presence of this substance in the blood. toxic substance. As soon as a cigarette is smoked, the hormone rises, and within an hour, in order to cope with stress, a person has to take another puff of smoke. Only this gives him the opportunity to provide himself with cortisol for the next 60 minutes. When trying to avoid smoking, the body produces cortisol for only 15 minutes, after which it drops sharply.

The smoker feels irritation and an obsessive desire to smoke, which he cannot cope with. Instead, his nerve cells receive a dose of another emotional explosion.

The dependence of the level of cortisol in the blood on smoking also explains such a fact as mood swings after an attempt to give up an addiction.

The level of cortisol is extremely low in the first few weeks after quitting cigarettes, and its rise is associated with nicotine; not everyone can quit smoking. Nervous tension everywhere, and the content of the stress hormone is too insignificant to help a former smoker cope with it without the participation of a smoking “magic wand”.

Impact of smoking and stress

Beauty killer

The impact of smoking on the female body is not limited to harm to health. It would be more accurate to say that changes inside the body cannot help but “crawl out” to the outside. Damage is also caused to appearance, which is perceived by most girls as a much more terrible consequence.

Think about it, girls!

The skin of smokers ages very quickly as a result of vasoconstriction from nicotine, and constant oxygen starvation keeps the epidermis in a state of stress. The result of many years of daily smoking a large number of cigarettes is dull, unhealthy skin that ages prematurely. The first wrinkles appear and bags under the eyes appear. Similar changes are “obvious” after 1-2 years of smoking experience.

The teeth of a woman who smokes have a characteristic yellow color, and they also become victims of periodic caries. Nails suffer from brittleness, and hair loses shine and moisture.

The risk of such consequences will force many girls to reconsider their habits. Neither of them is ready to sacrifice their appearance.

The effect of smoking on a woman's hormones

Not so long ago, doctors believed that a woman who continues to smoke acquires the characteristics of a man, since smoking leads to a decrease in the level of female hormone. However, research suggests the opposite. Today, scientists clearly understand that smoking leads to infertility.

As studies have shown, an increase in the level of estrogen and androgen in the body of a person who smoked affects the function of FSH, namely, it reduces it, which leads to negative consequences, as a result - the maturation of the egg does not occur, and accordingly, there can be no pregnancy and speeches.

With the childbearing state, everything is clear. Regarding health, things are extremely negative. It has been proven that a person who smoked and took contraceptives increases the risk of developing pathologies such as:

Phlebeurysm.
Embolism.
Atherosclerosis.
Stroke.
Thrombosis.
Heart attack.
Vascular diseases.

The risk group included women in the age group 35 and above. According to the latest data from scientists, there is information that an increase in female and male hormones associated with taking medications and smoking leads to the development of cancer and diabetes mellitus 2 types.

The effect of smoking on blood vessels

So, smoking causes an increase in FSH, which activates the production of estrogen. Distinctive feature This hormone is that it promotes the formation of blood clots. Consequently, one of the dangers of smoking is the threat of thrombosis, which can lead to strokes and heart attacks.

Women over 35 who smoke are at increased risk. Smoking increases the likelihood of thromboembolic complications (deep and superficial vein thrombosis) at this age by four times.

Recently American researchers have discovered that tobacco smoke has a stronger effect on the lungs of the fairer sex than the stronger. And this is not surprising. There are a number of diseases that occur specifically in women who smoke.

Milena Sigaeva / “Health-info”

Smoking has long ceased to be just a men's problem. A cigarette for women, once a sign of emancipation, is now a fashion accessory for businesswomen. In our country, 30% of women smoke. Tobacco campaigns use eye-catching designs to disguise the scary contents of cigarette packs. Many people have long known that names of cigarettes such as “light” and “ultra-light” do not in any way reduce the harm these cigarettes cause to women’s health.

Americans conducted a survey among 388 women working in hospitals. The study found that even healthcare workers themselves underestimate the dangers of smoking.

99% of them know that smoking causes lung cancer
22% know that smoking can cause infertility
30% know about the increased risk of osteoporosis among women
17% – about early menopause
24% – about cervical cancer

Oncological diseases

Girls who start smoking at a fairly young age put themselves at risk of developing breast cancer. Moreover, the appearance of this disease depends on how early the girl started smoking. It probably affects developing breasts the most.

In Switzerland, a study was conducted among women who smoked and concluded that lung cancer became more common in women than breast cancer. More men than women still die from lung cancer, but this is only because mass smoking among women began only in the 60s of the last century. But today the number of women with lung cancer has increased from 3 to 25% of the total number of cases. And already now in some developed countries, for example in Switzerland, there are more girls who smoke than boys.

Heart diseases

Contrary to popular belief, heart attacks are not just a men's problem. Cardiovascular diseases are the first cause of female mortality. One of the reasons that provokes heart disease is.

Leather

If illness internal organs are not immediately visible and seem distant and unreal, then the changes occurring in the skin are more noticeable to smokers.

English and German scientists have discovered that metalloproteinase MMP1, which destroys skin collagen, is found in larger quantities in smokers than in other people. Due to smoking, the vessels and capillaries on the face narrow, this leads to the fact that the skin cells are less well supplied with oxygen and, accordingly, nutrients. Damage to collagen and poor oxygen supply to cells provokes the early appearance of wrinkles, which is why women who smoke always appear older than their age. Unfortunately, this process is irreversible.

Figure

The next point that can scare a woman is obesity. Women who smoke claim that they are afraid to quit smoking so as not to gain weight. Contrary to popular belief, this is also not entirely true. Of course, by stimulating the sympathetic nervous system, tobacco blocks hunger, so that when you quit smoking, a person automatically eats 200-300 calories a day more. Therefore, the first time after you have given up bad habit, better control what you eat and exercise more physical exercise. However, a third of women who quit smoking do not gain an ounce of weight. Even if you add a couple of extra pounds, after about 6 months your weight should return to your usual level.

Hormonal levels

Smokers experience a lack of female sex hormones - estrogens - for two reasons. The first - reduces their secretion, the second - the smoker’s liver accelerates the destruction of these hormones in the body. As a result, frustration and pain appear during it. The lack of sufficient estrogen also has a negative impact on the female genital organs and breasts.

Since smoking affects female sex hormones, menopause in women who smoke occurs 1-2 years earlier. Menopause itself is much more difficult. Osteoporosis and earlier, both internal and external, also occur more often in smokers.

Smoking and oral contraceptives

A large-scale study was conducted in Britain involving 17,000 women aged 25 to 39 years, which lasted 35 years. All of these women were taking oral contraceptives. Women who smoked 15 cigarettes a day or more were, on average, twice as likely to die from cardiovascular disease than nonsmokers who simply took birth control pills. Moreover, the risk of heart attack among such women is 1.7 times greater in case of moderate tobacco consumption and 4 times greater in heavy smokers. Even passive, along with taking oral contraceptives, increases cardiovascular disease in 30% of women.

Another danger that smokers who take contraceptives are exposed to is blood clots, the risk of which becomes 10 times higher. If you decide to take oral contraceptives, then it is better to completely forget about the cigarette.

Health of the future generation

All women want to become a mother one day and then a grandmother. However, women who smoke may not wait for this.

First of all, it is more difficult for a woman who smokes to get pregnant, as she is twice as likely to have miscarriages. And then girls born to smoking mothers, when they grow up, very often become infertile. A team of scientists from the University of Leeds in the UK studied 240 women during the process of artificial insemination. As a result, they concluded that cigarettes that the mother smokes during pregnancy negatively affect the development of the girls' uterus - they develop uterine disorders even in the womb.

In addition, smoking during pregnancy increases the risk sudden death baby after birth. In France, they analyzed the causes of death of 1,500 babies and found that in 300 cases it was to blame.

Babies born to mothers who smoke often weigh less than their counterparts. Among them, infants weighing less than 2.5 kg are often found. In the future, it is these children who most often develop diabetes or obesity. Similar conclusions were made by British scientists who conducted a large-scale study over 33 years involving 17,000 women.

Even if everything is in order and your child grows up relatively healthy, you will still doom him to the same addiction that you yourself suffer from. Scientists have proven that more than half of children raised by smoking mothers become smokers themselves.

If you quit smoking

Sometimes it is possible to turn back time. Quit smoking, and every day without a cigarette you will regain a small portion of your health.

After 8 hours:

Oxygen levels will return to normal
The risk of myocardial infarction will begin to decrease

After 24 hours:

The body will be freed from carbon monoxide
Breathing will improve
The lungs begin to clear of mucus and tar
The risk of respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia will decrease

After 48 hours:

The blood will be completely cleared of nicotine