Data Suggest Users View E-Cigarettes as a Safe Alternative During Pregnancy

As use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) has surged — with insufficiently known health effects — prevalence of use has not been carefully assessed among pregnant women. Investigators examined National Health Interview Survey data from 28,000 women (age range, 18–44; 1071 pregnant) on reported use of conventional and e-cigarettes.

Compared with nonpregnant women, significantly fewer pregnant women reported currently smoking conventional cigarettes (14.3% vs. 8.0%). However, similar proportions of nonpregnant and pregnant women (3.3% and 3.6%) reported current use of e-cigarettes. Among pregnant women, 39% of current smokers reported e-cigarette use compared with 1.3% of past smokers and 0.3% of never smokers, suggesting that women may p…