Dr. Rashmi Sharma

Tobacco harms people around you even if they don't smoke.

Quit tobacco, save your children.

What is secondhand smoke?

 Secondhand smoke is the term doctors use for the smoke that people who do not smoke breathe in from other people's smoking. Another term for secondhand smoke is" environmental tobacco smoke"

Does secondhand smoke cause health problems in children?

 Yes. Studies have shown that secondhand smoke from people smoking in the home can cause health problems in children. These problems are worse if both parents smoke.

What health problems can secondhand smoke cause in children? 

Secondhand smoke increases the chance of children having the following health problems:

●Breathing symptoms, such as coughing, coughing up mucus, or wheezing (noisy breathing)

●Lung infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia – these infections can be especially serious in babies and young children.

●Asthma – asthma is a lung condition that makes it hard to breathe. It doesn't cause symptoms all the time. But when symptoms flare up, children wheeze, cough, or get a tight feeling in their chest.

●The lungs not growing normally during childhood

●Ear infections

●Hearing loss (later in childhood)

Later on as adults, children who grew up with secondhand smoke are more likely to get:

●Asthma

●Lung cancer

●Other types of cancers

●Heart disease

Also, children who grow up with parents who smoke are more likely to take up smoking themselves.

What if my child already has asthma?

If your child already has asthma, secondhand smoke can make his or her symptoms worse or severe. Also, secondhand smoke causes children with asthma to need their asthma medicines or go to the hospital more often.

Can secondhand smoke affect an unborn baby?

 Yes. If a woman (who doesn't smoke) lives in a home with secondhand smoke, her baby has a higher chance of weighing less than normal at birth.

What problems can happen if a woman smokes during pregnancy?

 Women who smoke during pregnancy have a higher chance of having a miscarriage, which is when a pregnancy ends on its own before the baby can live outside the womb.

When a woman smokes during pregnancy, her baby has a higher chance of:

●Being born too early

●Not growing as much as normal in the uterus (womb)

●Being born with a birth defect

●Dying from sudden infant death syndrome (called" sids") later on – sids is when a baby dies suddenly during sleep for no known reason.

Is it enough to just make a smoke-free room in my home?

 No. If you want to help your child's health, you need to make your whole home smoke-free. You also need to make your car smoke-free. It will not help enough to make a smoke-free room or to smoke at home only when your child is not there. Also, using an air cleaner will not help.

What should I do if I want to quit smoking?

 If you want to quit smoking, think of the letters in the word" start" they can help you remember the steps to take:

S = set a quit date.

T = tell family, friends, and the people around you that you plan to quit.

A = anticipate or plan ahead for the tough times you'll face while quitting.

R = remove cigarettes and other tobacco products from your home, car, and work.

T = talk to your doctor or nurse about getting help to quit.

Your doctor or nurse can help you in different ways. He or she can:

●Put you in touch with a counselor – a counselor can help you figure out what triggers your smoking and what you can do instead.

●Prescribe medicines to help you quit smoking.

 Some medicines reduce your craving for cigarettes. Others reduce unpleasant symptoms (called" withdrawal symptoms') that happen when you stop smoking.

4 myths on IVF you should stop believing right now

In-vitro fertilisation (IVF) is one of the popular Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) for treating infertility and helping couples to conceive. The process involves the fertilisation of the egg with the sperm in a laboratory and thereafter, inserting the embryo formed, into the uterus. But lack of understanding about the topic has given rise to a number of myths such as:

Myth 1: IVF increases your fertility levels

Instead of making you more fertile, IVF stops your natural fertility cycle. This is usually done through hormones that are taken at the beginning of the process. The aim of such an action is to essentially put an end to your natural fertility process and create in its place an artificial cycle.

Myth 2: IVF hormone injections make you prone to uncontrollable emotions

In actuality, IVF hormone injections don’t cause you to suffer from out of control emotions but make you happier. This is because they come packed with the female hormone oestrogen, which produce endorphins (brain chemicals) that give you a sense of wellbeing.  The wave of emotions that you end up experiencing is a result of the stress and anxiety surrounding the success of a cycle.  

Myth 3: IVF never fails but is always successful

The success of the procedure depends on a number of factors such as quality and quantity of embryos and age. It is said that chances of conception decreases with age, with women above 40 reporting reduced fertility potential as well as success rate. On the other hand, women below the age of 35 have about 41% chance of getting pregnant.

Myth 4: It causes you to have triplets or twins

No, it’s not necessary for multiple births to take place if you opt for IVF. You can reduce the prospect of having twins or triplets by cutting down on the number of embryos that get inserted into the uterus. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an IVF Specialist.