Women and Tobacco

Ladies, let’s cut to the chase and tell the truth about tobacco. Despite what the ads have claimed, smoking isn’t a sign of a liberated or independent woman (dependent on nicotine is more like it), smoking hasn’t empowered us, and it doesn’t help us “find our voice” (unless you’ve been looking for a deeper, raspier one). That’s all media hype, and we’re not buying it.

Smoking does increase our risk of developing serious health problems. It’s not all bad news: the damage can be reversed and women experience specific benefits of quitting smoking. To understand the extent of these benefits, let’s first look at some basic facts and health risks related to women and smoking.

The Basics

• In 2006, more than one-third (35.6 percent) of American women ages 18–25 who were not pregnant smoked.¹
• More than 170,000 women die from smoking-related diseases each year.
• Lung cancer causes more deaths in women than breast cancer. About 90 percent of lung cancer deaths in women are tied to smoking.

The Risks

The most common causes of smoking-related deaths in women are:

• Heart disease
• Lung cancer
• Chronic lung disease.

Tobacco doesn’t discriminate. Its negative effects are felt by men and women alike. To make matters worse, some diseases may take a greater toll on women. For example, in 2003, 51 percent of all deaths related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were in women— the third year in a row that more women died from COPD than men. Smoking was directly responsible for 80 percent of these deaths. Exposure to tobacco smoke, even secondhand, may also increase your risk of breast cancer.

The dangers of smoking are serious, and we know you’ve heard them before, but it’s important to measure the risks and size up this threat to your health and future. Additionally, facing the facts head on will help you stay strong once you make the decision to quit!

Women who smoke increase their risk of:

• Irregular, absent, or more painful menstrual cycles
• Uterine cervix cancer
• Delayed conception and infertility
• Pregnancy complications
• Earlier menopause, with more severe symptoms
• Heart disease (if you are young and take birth control pills
• Lower bone density and a higher risk for fracture if smoking continues past menopause.

The Good News

This cloud does have a silver lining. You have the power to stop smoking and reverse or halt the damage caused by smoking. Within 20 minutes after you smoke that last cigarette, your body starts to heal. The healing process continues for years, and the benefits last a lifetime. Some of the benefits of quitting smoking are below:

• Heart disease—your risk is cut in half after 1 year of quitting.
• Lung cancer—your risk may be cut in half after 10 years of quitting.
• Oral cancer—your risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, and esophagus is cut in half after 5 years.⁴

Some women worry about weight gain and increased appetite if they quit. Although some women gain an average of 5 pounds after they stop smoking, you can take control through diet and exercise. Making Weight: Avoiding Weight Gain After Quitting Tobacco offers several tips on how to avoid weight gain. If you were really concerned about your image, you would have quit long ago since smoking is linked to premature skin wrinkling, stained teeth and fingers, smelly hair and clothing, and other unattractive side effects.

The younger you are when you quit, the greater the benefits to your health. You are young, strong, and free. You represent the very best and brightest in our Nation. Your country doesn’t want to lose you to tobacco—and neither do your friends and family. You’ve worked very hard to get to this point, so it’s time to reevaluate your smoking behavior. Quit tobacco—Make everyone proud.