Tobacco withdrawal symptoms and urges to smoke in pregnant versus non-pregnant smokers

We compared tobacco withdrawal in pregnant and non-pregnant smokers abstaining from smoking for 24 h. Female smokers completed an internet-based questionnaire, including the Minnesota Nicotine Withdrawal Scale—Revised (MNWS). They also rated additional withdrawal items and strength of urge to smoke. Consenting women were randomized to either: (i) abstain from smoking for 24 h or (ii) smoke as usual. After 24 h they rated their withdrawal again. We included a ‘smoking as usual’ group as we wished to establish that smoking abstinence increased withdrawal symptoms. Two-hundred and seventy-five women completed both the initial and the 24 h questionnaire and reported abstaining (n = 115, 17% pregnant) or smoking (n = 160, 21% pregnant) as requested. Exclusively among abstinent smokers, we compared symptoms for the pregnant and non-pregnant groups. After 24 h pregnant women had significantly lower scores than non-pregnant women for the mean MNWS (p = 0.004) and for three individual MNWS symptoms (angry, p = 0.010; anxious, p = 0.048; impatient, p = 0.011), with adjustments for baseline cigarette consumption and baseline withdrawal scores. Overall, on the first day of smoking abstinence, pregnant women are likely to report less severe tobacco withdrawal than non-pregnant women.

► We compared tobacco withdrawal in pregnant and non-pregnant smokers.
► Pregnant women had significantly lower overall withdrawal than non-pregnant women.
► We did not detect any withdrawal symptoms that were distinctive to pregnant women.