can you vape when pregnant
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Can You Vape When Pregnant?
Healthiest is neither smoking nor vaping. But if vaping helps you quit smoking, it is much safer than continuing. The guidance, supportively.
If you are pregnant and you vape or smoke, you are right to think carefully about it, and seeking information is a caring thing to do. The honest, evidence based position is this, the healthiest choice is not to smoke or vape at all, and if you have never smoked you should not start vaping. But if you do smoke and find that vaping helps you quit and stay smoke free, it is much safer for you and your baby than continuing to smoke. This guide explains the guidance clearly and supportively.
Quick answer
The healthiest option in pregnancy is not to smoke or vape. Licensed nicotine replacement, such as patches and gum, is the recommended first option to help you quit. But if vaping helps you stop smoking and stay smoke free, it is much safer for you and your baby than continuing to smoke. Speak to your midwife for support.
The most important message
Smoking in pregnancy is harmful, raising the risk of problems such as low birthweight, premature birth and miscarriage, largely because of toxins like carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke. Stopping smoking is one of the best things you can do for your baby. If you do not smoke, do not start vaping. If you do smoke, the priority is becoming smoke free, with support.
The order of preference in pregnancy
| Option | Position |
|---|---|
| Not smoking or vaping at all | The healthiest choice |
| Licensed NRT (patches, gum) | The recommended first option to help quit |
| Vaping to quit and stay smoke free | Much safer than continuing to smoke |
| Continuing to smoke | The most harmful, to be avoided |
| Smoking and vaping together | More harmful than either alone, avoid |
Why vaping is safer than smoking
Vapes do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, the two main toxins in cigarette smoke, and carbon monoxide is particularly harmful to a developing baby. Vapour does contain some potentially harmful chemicals, but at much lower levels than smoke. This is why, if vaping helps a pregnant woman quit smoking and stay smoke free, it is considered much safer for her and her baby than carrying on smoking.
The clear message is to become smoke free. If vaping is what helps you do that and stay there, it is far safer than continuing to smoke, even though stopping nicotine altogether is best.
Myths and facts
| Myth | The reality |
|---|---|
| Vaping is just as harmful as smoking in pregnancy | No. It is much safer than continuing to smoke, as it has no tar or carbon monoxide. |
| If you cannot quit, you may as well keep smoking | Switching fully to vaping or NRT is much safer than continuing to smoke. |
| Vaping is completely safe in pregnancy | It is not risk free; the healthiest option is neither smoking nor vaping. |
| Smoking a bit and vaping a bit is fine | Doing both is more harmful than either alone; aim to be smoke free. |
Getting support
You do not have to do this alone, and support is free and judgement free. Your midwife can refer you to a stop smoking adviser, and licensed NRT can be prescribed in pregnancy if it helps you quit. If you choose to use a vape to stop smoking, you can still get expert support to do so and to stay smoke free. The aim is to become, and remain, free of cigarettes, and eventually of nicotine altogether.
Do and don’t
Do
- Aim to be smoke free, ideally without nicotine
- Speak to your midwife or a stop smoking adviser
- Consider licensed NRT as a first option
- Switch fully if you use vaping to quit
Try not to
- Start vaping if you have never smoked
- Keep smoking because quitting feels hard
- Smoke and vape at the same time
- Vape around your baby once born
Frequently asked questions
Can you vape when pregnant?
The healthiest option is not to smoke or vape. But if vaping helps you quit smoking and stay smoke free, it is much safer for you and your baby than continuing to smoke.
Is vaping safe in pregnancy?
It is not risk free, but it is much safer than smoking, as vapes have no tar or carbon monoxide. The healthiest choice is neither.
What is the recommended way to quit in pregnancy?
Licensed NRT such as patches and gum is the recommended first option, alongside support from a stop smoking adviser.
Should I start vaping to relax in pregnancy?
No. If you do not smoke, you should not start vaping. The advice is to use neither.
Who can help me?
Your midwife can refer you to free stop smoking support, and NRT can be prescribed if it helps.
The bottom line
In pregnancy, the healthiest choice is to use neither cigarettes nor vapes, and if you have never smoked you should not start vaping. Licensed NRT is the recommended first option to help you quit. However, if vaping helps you stop smoking and stay smoke free, it is much safer for you and your baby than continuing to smoke, since it has no tar or carbon monoxide. Speak to your midwife for free, supportive help.
More help and related reading
If this guide raised other questions, the Help and Guidance library has plain English answers to many more. The closely related pages below are worth a look, and you can always return to the main hub to browse every topic we cover. For anything personal or about your own health, a GP, pharmacist or midwife can advise, and a free local stop smoking service can help if you want to reduce or stop using nicotine.
- Can you smoke hookah while breastfeeding?
- Are nicotine free vapes safe?
- Can nicotine gum cause cancer?
- Browse the full Help and Guidance library
Why becoming smoke free matters so much
The reason all the guidance points towards stopping smoking is that the toxins in cigarette smoke, especially carbon monoxide, directly affect a developing baby, raising the risk of serious problems. Every cigarette not smoked is a benefit, which is why switching fully away from smoking, by whatever route works for you, is such an important goal in pregnancy.
It is also worth knowing that support genuinely improves your chances. Pregnant women are roughly twice as likely to quit with help, and that support is free, so reaching out to your midwife or a stop smoking adviser is one of the most effective steps you can take for you and your baby.
Quick reference in pregnancy
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Healthiest option? | Neither smoking nor vaping |
| Recommended quit aid? | Licensed NRT, such as patches or gum |
| Is vaping safer than smoking? | Yes, much safer if it keeps you smoke free |
| Should a non smoker start vaping? | No |
| Where to get help? | Your midwife or a stop smoking adviser |
A few more questions
Is nicotine itself the main problem?
Most of the harm from smoking comes from other toxins, not nicotine, which is why becoming smoke free matters most.
Can I get NRT in pregnancy?
Yes, licensed NRT can be prescribed in pregnancy to help you quit. A midwife or GP can arrange it.
Should I aim to stop vaping too?
Yes, eventually. Once you are confident you will not return to smoking, the aim is to stop vaping as well.
Key things to remember
- Healthiest is neither smoking nor vaping
- Licensed NRT is the recommended first option
- Vaping is much safer than continuing to smoke
- Never start vaping if you do not smoke
- Free, supportive help is available from your midwife
A quick word on safety and the law
Vaping products are intended for adult smokers and existing vapers as a less harmful alternative to cigarettes. They contain nicotine unless stated otherwise, which is addictive, and they are not suitable for non smokers, pregnant women or anyone under 18. By law you must be 18 or over to buy vaping products in the UK, and we age verify every order. If you want to stop using nicotine altogether, your local stop smoking service offers free, tailored support.
UK public health bodies advise that vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking, but it is not risk free, and if you do not smoke the advice is not to start.
This is general information, not medical advice. If you are pregnant and smoke or vape, please speak to your midwife or a stop smoking adviser, who can give free, tailored support for you and your baby.
Need a hand?
Browse our full library of plain English vaping guides, or get in touch with the team if you have a question we have not answered yet.