Use of Nicotine-Containing Products During Pregnancy: Effects on Fetal Development

Currently, the usage of tobacco products among adult females is prevalent, representing 10 out of 100 adult females (CDC, 2023). In addition, 4.0% of adult women have been reported as using e-cigarettes. This is mainly due to the addiction to nicotine, which releases dopamine in the brain, ultimately causing the user to want to consume more nicotine-containing products. When used during pregnancy, nicotine-containing products could be harmful to both the mother and the growing fetus. Nicotine consumption during pregnancy may impact the critical brain development period of the fetus, thus resulting in several serious birth defects. Among those who use nicotine-containing products, Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) may be used to facilitate reducing addiction to nicotine. NRT can be used as an ideal therapy to help quit smoking tobacco or e-cigarettes as it replaces much of the nicotine in nicotine-containing products, thus decreasing motivation to use tobacco. Despite the reduced nicotine levels, NRT is reported to show that it may pose a threat when used during pregnancy. As a whole, a few studies have revealed the potential detrimental connection between the usage of nicotine-containing products - including tobacco, e-cigarettes, and NRT - during pregnancy and its effects on the fetus. In spite of this, there has been little research done on the subject, which may lead to further complications if the public is largely unaware. This literature review aims to investigate the effects of nicotine-containing products on the developing fetus.