Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Wednesday, April 10, 2013
(UNDATED) - The rate of pregnant women who smoke in Indiana is 17% - that’s almost double the national average.
The number of pregnant women who smoke in Indiana has decreased by 3% since 2000, but still enough to rank among the worst in the country.
OBGYN Physician Dr. Billie Zody says smoking increases the risk of premature birth, premature labor, infertility, still birth and first trimester loss.
"Almost every complication in pregnancy is increased in smoking and it increases about two to four percent," she says.
There's no data available yet, but the department of health expects the Smoke Free Air Law which went into effect last summer, to help reduce the number of pregnant smokers.
The law forbids smoking in most public places.
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