New study identifies birth defects linked to smoking while pregnant

Researchers from University College London (UCL) have compiled a report highlighting the birth defects most commonly associated with smoking during pregnancy.

The authors assessed 172 research papers published over the last 50 years chronicling a combined total of 174,000 cases of malformation, alongside 11.7 million control subjects.

It was found that smoking while pregnant can increase the risk of babies being born with missing or deformed limbs by 26 percent, as well as showing a 28 increase for clubfoot, 33 percent of skull defects and 28 percent for cleft palate.

The single greatest elevation was for gastroschisis, a condition in which parts of the stomach or intestines protrude through the skin, the risk for which rose by 50 percent among smokers.

Lead author Professor Allan Hackshaw of the UCL Cancer Institute, said: "The message from this research is that women should quit smoking before becoming pregnant, or very early on, to reduce the chance of having a baby with a serious and lifelong physical defect."

Earlier this month, a University of Southampton showed that giving up smoking during pregnancy can help to protect against these and other problems associated with the habit.