Can using vaping devices before pregnancy help people quit smoking? Study reveals the answer

Using e-cigarettes before pregnancy makes individuals more likely to quit smoking later in pregnancy compared to those using nicotine replacement therapy. This is the finding of a study from the University at Buffalo. Although the specific reasons are unclear, e-cigarettes may help patients maintain tobacco-related actions, psychological satisfaction, and social behaviors while reducing side effects. However, further research is needed to confirm this finding and to carefully assess the potential harms and benefits of e-cigarette use during pregnancy.

According to a recent study published on September 13 by the University at Buffalo, individuals who used e-cigarettes before pregnancy were more likely to stop smoking during pregnancy compared to those using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Despite the well-known risks of smoking during pregnancy to maternal and infant health, only about half of pregnant women manage to quit smoking on their own. 

To explore the impact of e-cigarettes or nicotine replacement therapy on quitting smoking later in pregnancy, researchers compared the quit rates between the two groups. This observational study collected data from 1,329 pregnant women through the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) from 2016 to 2020. This is one of the first studies in the U.S. to investigate e-cigarette use among pregnant women. 

The study's corresponding author, Xiaozhong Wen, an associate professor at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, has conducted several studies on smoking cessation during and after pregnancy.

After the study was published, he stated. 

“Research on e-cigarette use among pregnant women is urgent, as e-cigarettes are becoming increasingly common among young people, including pregnant women.”  

The study found that among the 1,329 respondents who had previously used e-cigarettes or nicotine replacement therapy, about half (50.8%) of e-cigarette users reported quitting smoking in late pregnancy, while only 19.4% of those using some form of nicotine replacement therapy quit smoking. 

Subgroup analysis of the study found that those who started using e-cigarettes before pregnancy had a higher quit rate (53.1%), while those who started using e-cigarettes during pregnancy had a quit rate (20.6%) similar to that of nicotine replacement therapy users (19.4%). 

While the specific reasons are currently unclear, Wen believes there may be several possible explanations. 

He stated:

“Using e-cigarettes may help patients maintain tobacco-related hand movements, psychological satisfaction, social behaviors, and interact with other smokers.”  

He also added that e-cigarettes generally do not cause side effects (such as nausea, vomiting, sleep problems, headaches, etc.) like nicotine replacement therapy does.

Although this study may suggest that those looking to quit smoking during pregnancy might consider using e-cigarettes, he emphasized that the findings need to be interpreted cautiously and confirmed in future randomized controlled trials.

He stated:

“We found that the association between e-cigarette use and quitting smoking during pregnancy may not be causal, especially since there are many important confounding factors, such as smoking intensity.”