How Does Smoking Affect Your GYN Health?
No Smoking Day falls in the month of May!
When we think about smoking, we think about lung disease, chronic cough, lung cancer, which is the leading cause of death in the United States from cancer. But what does all of this have to do with gynecology?
Let me tell you three areas that smoking can affect, when it comes to your GYN health:
Smoking makes cervical disease much worse. So if you have an abnormal PAP smear, if your doctor has told you that you have precancerous cells, or you needed a procedure on your cervix to get rid of some of these cells, or if you have HPV, all of this can accelerate or be made much worse if you're a smoker versus if you're not. Often, cervical disease can regress on its own, but not if you smoke.
You can have complications from surgery if you're a smoker. You can have anesthetic complications like when you go to sleep from anesthesia, you can have a harder time waking up. Also, you will likely heal poorly from surgery if you are a smoker. So your incisions may open up, or you may have infections, etc.
Did you know that your doctor may not give you a prescription for birth control pills or hormone therapy if you're a smoker? Because smoking combined with estrogen puts you at much increased risk for clots and stroke. So if you're somebody who is wanting to be on the pill, or you want estrogen therapy when you are reaching perimenopause and menopause, make sure that you do not smoke.
The good news with all of this is that it’s never too late to quit smoking. A lot of the damage that has been done to your body can actually reverse. Studies have shown us this, so it is never too late.
So if you're a smoker, make a quality decision right now to QUIT and get the help you need!
If you are in California and you are looking for an expert gynecologist, come and see me!
I'm in Lafayette, CA and my number is 925-74-7473 , and I'll be happy to see you for a consultation.
You can set up a coaching session with me, email: thefibroiddoc@gmail.com , and we can set up a time and go over all your questions.
For more educational videos like this, visit TheFibroidDoc’s YouTube channel.
