Why Smoking Around Expectant Moms Is Worse Than You Thought

Secondhand smoke cannot only be a deadly killer for others but for women’s unborn children too. Researchers warn fathers-to-be and others who expose pregnant women to secondhand smoke put their babies at risk of heart defects.

For the new study, investigators in China reviewed 125 studies that included a total of nearly 9 million prospective parents and more than 137,000 babies with congenital heart defects.

All types of parental smoking were linked to an increased risk of these birth defects, the analysis found. Compared to no smoking exposure, the increased risk was 124 percent for women exposed to secondhand smoke while pregnant, 74 percent for men smoking, and 25 percent for women smoking.

“Fathers are a large source of secondhand smoke for pregnant women, which appears to be even more harmful to