Quitting smoking is the best decision for any woman who wants to have a child because tobacco greatly decreases the chances of getting pregnant and having a successful pregnancy. If being accompanied is the key to success, there are effective methods to stop smoking and avoid gaining weight when you quit smoking.

Tobacco, with more than 4 toxic chemical compounds, induces important hormonal changes which have direct repercussions on the female reproductive system by altering both ovulations and the quality of the eggs.

Smokers have thus:

• Fertility reduced by a third
• Twice the risk of having ectopic pregnancies
• 3 more likely to miscarry early in pregnancy

They also put on average 2 times longer to get pregnant.

But there is some real good news if you are a smoker and want a baby quickly: as soon as you quit smoking, these numbers return to normal. So, in addition to protecting the health of your future child, you will have a much better chance of getting pregnant by quitting smoking as soon as possible! And this is valid in case of natural conception but also in case of medically assisted conception (IVF or GIFT).

If you are not yet pregnant and are wondering how to put the odds on your side to successfully quit smoking, studies recently conducted by American researchers should be of interest to you. They have indeed shown that there is an ideal time in a woman’s menstrual cycle to quit smoking.

The data, published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research and presented at the Annual Meeting of the Organization for the Study of Sex Differences, indeed reveal that the most favorable time corresponds to the mid-luteal phase: that just after the ovulation and before menstruation.

At this time, estrogen and progesterone levels are at their highest. The result would be a decrease in the withdrawal syndrome and the activity of neural circuits associated with the uncontrollable desire to smoke. Smoking cessation would then be facilitated.

But anyway, if the ideal is to stop smoking before getting pregnant to avoid obstetric accidents and protect the unborn child from the harmful effects of tobacco, it will always be very beneficial to stop smoking, whatever the stage of pregnancy.

Beyond the period that would be the most favorable for you to successfully quit smoking, it is the choice of treatment that will really be the key to your success.

It is indeed important to choose the most suitable treatment for your situation. For this, it is essential to take stock of your degree of dependence on cigarettes. A word of advice: take the time to educate yourself on this subject because it is the starting point of your process to quit smoking. Because, in fact, your degree of dependence will determine the most suitable technique to help you quit smoking in the best possible conditions.

Three methods of quitting smoking are recognized as really effective:

• nicotine replacement therapy
• behavioral and cognitive therapies
• drug treatments that affect physical dependence

Nicotine substitutes

Nicotine patches, chewing gums, tablets and inhalers : they are used to provide you with nicotine, so that you do not feel the signs of physical withdrawal. Used well, they will help you gradually reduce your need until it disappears. Ask your pharmacist for advice on how to adapt the dosage to your degree of dependence and to gradually reduce the doses. The duration of the treatment will vary from 3 to 6 months and note that to help you quit smoking, the Health Insurance reimburses the nicotine replacement treatments prescribed by your doctor up to € 150 per calendar year and per beneficiary from November 1, 2016.

Behavioral and cognitive therapies

If this term may seem complicated to you, it actually corresponds to psychological care intended to help you change your behavior towards smoking. You will learn techniques to help you, for example, not to “crack” for a cigarette in the presence of a smoker, to help you get rid of the coffee = cigarette association, to get rid of stress without smoking.

With this type of help, you will find your own strategies to avoid falling into the trap of smoking. Often times, it will be a matter of diverting your mind and occupying your brain while waiting for the urge to pass. To help you, here are some effective techniques in case of the urge to smoke:

• Drink a large glass of water, tea or infusion
• Chew a chewing gum or nicotine gum (be careful to use the latter according to the instructions)
• Crunch a fruit (very effective)
• Spend a few moments with your forearms under very cold water (very effective)
• Brush your teeth
• Take your mind off your mind and deliberately divert your mind: watching television, listening to a radio or television program, reading a newspaper article, making an important call, going for a walk in the fresh air, etc.

Drug treatments that act on physical dependence

Bupropion LP and varenicline can help you quit smoking by preventing you from feeling tobacco cravings. Be careful, however, because they are only issued on prescription and require rigorous medical monitoring. Furthermore, they are not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women, or for smokers under the age of 18.

Other approaches like hypnosis, acupuncturee or the use of E-cigarette can be a help to stop smoking but their effectiveness is not recognized.

That said, whatever method is used: the important thing is to find the one that suits you personally and that will help you to quit smoking in the best possible conditions.

To put all the chances on your side to succeed in your smoking cessation, it is (very) strongly recommended that you be accompanied, whether by your doctor, by your pharmacist or by a tobacco specialist. The website www.tabac-info-service.fr is also a good way to benefit from free advice from health professionals and personalized follow-up by telephone by tobacco specialists. Think about it!

You feel ready and determined to quit smoking but you fear the repercussions on the scale because you have often heard that when you quit smoking, weight gain is almost inevitable.

On this subject, be reassured because contrary to popular belief, weight gain when you quit smoking is not systematic and is even much rarer than what you think:

• in the vast majority of cases, women simply regain the weight they would have gained if they had never smoked and thus regain their normalcy.
• a third of smokers do not gain weight
• 5% of smokers lose some weight after quitting smoking

And to help you quit smoking without raising the scale needle, here are some tips:

1. To avoid snacking between meals, put in place 2 systematic snacks during the day : one at 10 a.m. and the other at 16 p.m. for example. Take the time to prepare your favorite hot drink (tea, coffee or herbal tea) and allow yourself 5 minutes to relax. Take the time to taste a yogurt, a seasonal fruit and / or some plain almonds.

2. At each main meal, give pride of place to proteins and be sure to eat a portion of meat, fish, or 2 eggs. Proteins are indeed both satiating and satiating and will allow you to avoid munchies.

3. Focus on foods high in fiber : in the morning, opt for oatmeal or wholegrain or cereal bread and for lunch and dinner, remember to eat a good quantity of vegetables and legumes (lentils, split peas, white or red beans, chickpeas , etc.). Always end your meal with a whole fruit. Fiber is indeed ideal to avoid small hunger pangs between meals.