According to one of the investigations, it has been found that the smell and taste of cigarettes play a more important role in the behavior of women when smoking than in that of men. Another study found that cognitive behavioral therapy aimed at changing attitudes about weight promotes smoking cessation in women. Even if we compare their stats to men’s, we’d be surprised to learn that the guys who smoke are one in three. However, while smoking and smoking-related deaths from diseases such as lung cancer have decreased in men, they have increased in women. Smoking, in fact, affects the health of women more than men; a woman smoker loses, on average, 15 years of her life, while a smoker loses just over 13 years.

In the first half of the 20th century, lung cancer in women was extremely atypical. Besides that, smoking was not very common. Unfortunately, that soon changed when the tobacco industry started targeting women. In 1964, the first Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health was published and it became clear that smoking was a deadly habit that involved 45 percent of women around the world. A media campaign followed and smoking rates began to fall, as did the profits of the tobacco industry. But the rates fell more in men than in women; the tobacco industry had started its own media campaign, once again marketing directly to women.

Lung cancer

By 1987, lung cancer had overtaken breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer death in women.

Today, more women die each year from lung cancer than from breast cancer, uterine cancer, and ovarian cancers combined. In fact, lung cancer among women is now considered a scourge, killing nearly 75,000 in the US last year. Women appear to be more vulnerable to lung cancer than men and tend to get it at a younger age.

Symptoms of lung cancer

or shortness of breath

o Fever of unknown cause

or hoarseness

or Breast bread

or wheezing

o Coughing up blood

or chronic cough

o Weight loss and loss of appetite

or repeated episodes of bronchitis or pneumonia

Other diseases influenced by smoking in women

While lung cancer may be the deadliest disease caused by smoking, it is not the only one. Smoking doubles the risk of having a heart attack and increases the risk of dying from a heart attack in the first hour. This is an especially serious problem for women, as women are more likely to die after a first heart attack than men. Women using birth control pills; and smoke are at especially high risk for heart attack.

Smoking also increases the risk of other cancers, such as breast, uterine, bladder, and mouth cancers. Smoking also increases a woman’s risk for low bone density and osteoporosis.

Smoking-Related Disorders in Women

o Heart disease

o Stroke

o Lung cancer

o Emphysema

o Oral cancer

o Uterine cancer

o Breast cancer

o Bladder cancer

o Rectal cancer

o Colorectal polyps

o Osteoporosis

o Infertility

o Early menopause

o Miscarriages

o Stillbirths

Family matters

Smoking is not only bad for women; it is bad for their families and also for future families. Smoking can cause infertility in women. If a woman becomes pregnant, smoking increases her risk of miscarriages, stillbirths, and premature births. Mothers who smoke during pregnancy are also more likely to have babies with asthma, sleep disorders, and chronic ear infections than mothers who do not smoke. The phase of the menstrual cycle has an effect on both mood and tobacco withdrawal symptoms in women trying to quit smoking, a finding that clearly suggests that women could improve their success rate simply by beginning their attempt at smoking. quit smoking during certain days of your cycle.

Cosmetic and other considerations

Ironically, teenage girls and young women often think that smoking is sexy and glamorous. However, the consequences, such as stained fingers and teeth, tooth loss, gum disease, bad breath, are anything but sexy and glamorous. Smoking also accelerates the aging process probably due to its adverse effect on estrogen. It can cause early menopause, facial wrinkles, and permanent decreased voice and urinary incontinence.

Old habits are slow to die

Women and girls are not only more likely than men to suffer the negative consequences of smoking; they are more likely to become addicted to cigarettes even when they smoke comparable amounts.

Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances known to a man … and a woman. Researchers are studying gender differences in smoking behavior and working to develop treatment plans that will help more women break their nicotine addiction. In fact, nicotine is considered more addictive than heroin or cocaine. And nicotine is more addictive for women than for men.

The highly addictive nature of nicotine is one of the main reasons why most people have a hard time quitting, and women have a more difficult time quitting than men. Another thing that makes quitting smoking difficult for women is the weight gain that unfortunately often accompanies quitting smoking. On the other hand, weight gain, which rarely exceeds five pounds, can be reversed with a healthy diet and exercise.

More importantly, quitting smoking can also reverse many of the deadly consequences of the habit.

Weighing the Benefits

A woman who stops smoking reduces her risk of stroke to pre-smoking levels. In one year, your risk of smoking-related heart disease drops by 50 percent. After three years, the risk of a heart attack is no greater than that of a woman who has never smoked. In five years, your risk of heart disease related to smoking may disappear completely. Clearly, the benefits of quitting smoking outweigh the possibility of any weight gain. So think again … Are we on the right track?