Q: What happens if a woman smokes during pregnancy?

A: The following are potential complications when a woman smokes during pregnancy:

  1. Infertility
  2. Miscarriage
  3. Stillborn baby
  4. Low birth-weight baby
  5. Premature baby
  6. Abruptio placentae (detached placenta) 
  7. Placenta previa
  8. Premature rupture of fetal membranes
  9. Having a baby with "Sudden Infant Death Syndrome" (or SIDS, for short), a condition in which an apparently healthy baby dies unexpectedly during sleep, occurs twice as often in children born to mothers who smoke during pregnancy.
  10. Delivering a baby with lung problems like asthma and children at risk for lung infections 

Women who smoke during pregnancy double their own risks of dying from future heart disease or from any cause.

Women who quit smoking before or during pregnancy reduce the risk of pregnancy complications.