You're pregnant! Congratulations, you're now carrying a tiny human inside of you that needs to be protected from all kinds of harm. From avoiding sushi rolls to steering clear from any form of alcohol, there's no doubt being pregnant comes with its limitations. But what about nicotine gum? Is it okay for expecting mothers to chew on some good old nicotine sticks during the gestational period? Let's find out!
What is Nicotine Gum?
Nicotine gum is a type of chewing gum that contains small quantities of nicotine – obviously. It's generally recommended for smokers who are seeking quit smoking as an alternative tool to assuage their cravings.
How does it work?
Once chewed and absorbed into the bloodstream through blood vessels in the mouth lining, nicotine stimulates brain receptors responsible for producing pleasure hormones like dopamine, providing temporary relief from withdrawal symptoms.
Should Pregnant Women Chew Nicotine Gum?
While there are no concrete studies confirming if chewing nicotine gum during pregnancy causes long-term health complications within babies, one cannot guarantee outright safety without side effects.
Moreover, medical professionals have raised concerns regarding limited medical trials orchestrating research on this issue as available data might simply be obtained through voluntary disclosure means rather than structured experimentation protocols used in drugs' clinical trials
The Ramifications
Of course not only would disregarding risks associated with taking up such unproven habits undermine continuity with established safe maternal foetal practices concerning similar vices (like tobacco smoke) -it'd also discourage researchers looking into whether further testing could unearth more about how often people indulge in these practices- affecting future guidelines developed based what was learnt from current studies/interventions among other things
Depleting Resources
Furthermore resources that could otherwise increase fetal protection will instead stymied by decreasing those available numbers since previously thought harmful substances might take them away when they shoudn't
Redefining overall approach
or make it clear to people that the common way of relating to their medicinal needs could be changing altogether. This change, in turn, might nurture much-needed awareness and lead to better approaches across varied health-related lifelines.
Risks Associated with Nicotine Gum
There are no specific studies outlining the effects of nicotine gum on infants when ingested by breastmilk but there is research demonstrating the presence of traces or compounds of nicotine found within milk supply upon analysis and subjects who chewed gum entailing around six to eight pieces daily showed adversely heightened levels/negative outcomes regarding blood circulation than other consumption modes like smoking which resulted in less harm.
Furthermore, while you may think this is too huge an amount/high dosage for somebody smaller than a stick that spits smoke out in short spurts from time-to-time it will help keep mommy's mouth occupied during tough times like cigarette withdrawal so she won’t reach for non-nicotine options just as harmful - right? Well not exactly folks!
Maternal Health issues associated with chewing gum
While lower-dose formulations have been tried and tested for fleeting relief; they don't show broad certainty against all concerns women using such products need handle. Pregnant women physically possessing gums near excretory systems must also worry about lowered immunity over extended periods while trying to attain similar results as discussed here.
Additionally one study examined that chewing often-favoured minty flavours can negatively affect taste buds after an extended period irritating its tender membrane layer due excessive neurotransmitter accumulation caused tbyhigh sugar content usedin replacements. In light of this observation getting-away-from-cigarette substitutes (even low dosage ones) should occur only under recommendationmedical specialist- definitely not something done off-a-whim especially atmoments where frequent nausea/vomiting occurs regular pharmaceuticals fail since everybody should have access alternatives easily affordable/helpful enough without risk factors.
What About the Severity of Risks?
In 2010, a larger, more comprehensive study was conducted by Norwegian researchers involving over 60k expectant mothers, discovering that those who consumed nicotine in any form (incl. gum and patches) before/during pregnancy were more prone to stillbirths or spontaneous miscarriages relative women abstained altogether from smoking with an insignificant margin irrespective of chewing method used- minimal difference.
Conclusion
The detrimental effects of ingesting substances other than approved nutritional supplements entirely during gestation have scientific backing - even for less hazardous ones like coffee or tea. Therefore, pregnant women should choose not to chew nicotine gum if there are alternative ways to manage stressful situations because its side-effects remain largely unquantifiable yet harmful enough on severer scales making it perilous handling unnecessarily.