Pregnant smokers should be breath-tested to uncover the truth, says Irish study

Should women be tested to see whether they're smoking during their pregnancy?

According to new research, they should. The study recommends that mums-to-be be breath-tested at antenatal appointments to check whether they've been lighting up. Pregnant women who smoke but fail to admit to it are missing out on vital monitoring according to a report in the Irish Times. Ten per cent of the participants in the study, which was conducted with women attending Dublin's Coombe maternity hospital, turned out to be smokers even though they had listed themselves as non-smokers. These 'non-disclosers' were more likely to be educated than those who admitted to smoking. The study also found that those who smoked while pregnant had serious dietary inadequacies which could impact their babies' growth in the womb. These findings online come after UK research earlier this month showed that women were smoking were smoking in private during pregnancy due to the associated stigma. There's been a strong reaction to the recommendation online. Some have said they would support it while others dismissed such a move.

What we should be doing is helping and encouraging them to #quit - NOT judging them! We’ve had enough judging of women in this country thank you very much

— Regina Doherty TD (@ReginaDo) February 27, 2019

@ciarakellydoc @LunchtimeLiveNT #CiaraNT All these men telling women how to behave during pregnancy. Wow, entitlement and misogyny writ large.

— James Casserly (@Casserly_Rock) February 27, 2019

Does anyone else find this suggestion mysognistic and insulting? Breath-test pregnant women to see if they smoke, study suggests https://t.co/CEYtJMh6MG via @IrishTimes

— Bernadette quillinan (@BQuillinan) February 27, 2019

It's better than asking them. They're hardly going to admit it up front.

— Declan Murphy (@Declan_Murphy82) February 27, 2019

You can bring in all the breath test you like but if a woman smokes, drinks or even take drugs while pregnant what can anyone do about it?

— Mickmac ?? (@mickmac12345) February 27, 2019