June 5 news, according to Vapingpost, as the use of e-cigarettes during pregnancy remains controversial, and has caused debate for and against, a recent study aimed to analyze the effects of e-cigarette aerosol exposure on adult male offspring. Rat influence to solve this problem.

The study, "Effects of e-cigarette smoke exposure during pregnancy and lactation on learning and memory in adult male offspring rats," will be published in Physiology and Behavior. The researchers exposed gestational and lactating rats 4-21 to fresh air or e-cigarette vapor for 1 hour per day.

Male offspring (human male fetuses are more susceptible to stress than female fetuses) were followed for 19 weeks, after which their spatial learning ability and memory were tested.

The results showed that aerosol exposure during pregnancy and lactation impairs long-term memory in adult offspring relative to fresh air (P < 0.05). To this end, the researchers concluded that smoking during pregnancy should not be encouraged.

At the same time, in response to such studies on e-cigarette use during pregnancy, e-cigarette advocates have consistently argued that such studies need to be considered. It was pointed out that while no one is recommending that pregnant women should smoke for recreational use, ideally they should quit smoking entirely, whether or not these products contain nicotine. However, because e-cigarettes are much safer than smoking, heavy smokers who are unable to quit will still benefit, like their descendants, from switching to safer options.

French researchers recently conducted a systematic review analysing international literature published between January 2003 and April 2019 on the topic of smoking cessation during pregnancy.

The review, titled "[CNGOF-SFT Expert Report and Guidelines on the Management of Smoking During Pregnancy – Short Text]", aimed to identify the latest evidence-based guidelines for the management of smoking cessation during pregnancy. The researchers browsed the Cochrane PubMed and Embase databases using relevant keywords.

Compiled data suggest that counselling has some positive effect on smoking cessation, recommending the use of self-help interventions and health education when helping pregnant smokers to quit. Again, nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) are prescribed for pregnant women who have not quit smoking by other means, but vaping is generally discouraged due to a lack of scientific evidence on the long-term effects of vaping.