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Can You Vape When Pregnant?
Health Guides
The NHS position is clear: the safest approach during pregnancy is to stop using nicotine in all forms. Here we explain the evidence behind that guidance, what the specific risks of vaping during pregnancy are and where to get support if you are struggling to stop.
NHS
Advises Stopping All Nicotine During Pregnancy
Placenta
Blood Flow Restricted by Nicotine — Critical for Fetal Development
Free
NHS Stop Smoking Support Available to All Pregnant Women
The clear answer first
Can You Vape When Pregnant?
NHS guidance is clear
No — the NHS advises stopping all nicotine use during pregnancy
The NHS recommends that pregnant women stop smoking and avoid using nicotine products of any kind during pregnancy, including vaping. This guidance applies to nicotine-containing vapes. Nicotine restricts blood flow to the placenta, affects fetal brain and cardiovascular development, and is associated with increased risks of complications including low birth weight, premature birth and stillbirth. While vaping is considered less harmful than smoking for the vaper themselves, the risks to fetal development from nicotine mean that stopping entirely is the recommended approach during pregnancy.
This article is not medical advice. If you are pregnant and vaping or smoking, please speak to your midwife or GP as soon as possible. NHS Stop Smoking services provide free, specialist support tailored to pregnant women. You can also contact the NHS Smokefree helpline on 0300 123 1044 for support.
Why nicotine is harmful during pregnancy
The Risks of Nicotine to Fetal Development
The evidence on nicotine and pregnancy comes primarily from research on smoking, which has a much longer research history than vaping. The nicotine-specific risks identified in that research are applicable to vaping because the mechanism — nicotine entering the maternal bloodstream — is the same regardless of delivery method.
Nicotine Restricts Placental Blood Flow
The placenta is the organ that delivers oxygen and nutrients from the mother to the developing baby. Nicotine's vasoconstrictive effect reduces blood flow through the placental vessels, restricting the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus. This can result in intrauterine growth restriction, where the baby does not grow at the expected rate, and is associated with low birth weight. Babies born with low birth weight face higher risks of health complications both immediately after birth and in later life.
Nicotine and Fetal Brain Development
The developing fetal brain is particularly sensitive to nicotine. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, which nicotine acts on, play important roles in fetal brain development including the formation of neural connections and the development of the autonomic nervous system. Prenatal nicotine exposure has been associated in research with increased risks of attention and behavioural difficulties in children, including links to ADHD-like presentations, though the causal relationships are complex and still being studied.
Increased Risk of Premature Birth
Nicotine use during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of premature birth (before 37 weeks). Premature babies face significantly higher risks of breathing difficulties, feeding problems, infection and developmental complications. The risk is dose-dependent, meaning higher nicotine intake is associated with higher risk, but no safe threshold during pregnancy has been established.
Association With Stillbirth
Research on smoking in pregnancy has found associations between nicotine use and increased risk of stillbirth. The mechanisms are thought to involve reduced placental function and the effects of nicotine on fetal heart rate regulation. While the absolute risk remains low, there is no established safe level of nicotine exposure during pregnancy, which is why complete cessation is advised rather than reduction.
What about vaping specifically
Is Vaping Safer Than Smoking During Pregnancy?
This is an important question and the honest answer is: probably, but we do not know enough to recommend it. Vaping does not expose the fetus to the carbon monoxide and many of the carcinogenic combustion products of cigarette smoke, which are additional harms from smoking. In that respect, for a pregnant woman who cannot stop using nicotine, switching from cigarettes to vaping may reduce some risks.
However the NHS does not recommend vaping as a quit-smoking tool during pregnancy in the way it does for non-pregnant adults. The reason is that the safety of inhaling vaping compounds specifically during pregnancy has not been established. The precautionary principle applies: in the absence of evidence that vaping during pregnancy is safe, the recommended position is to stop all nicotine use and use evidence-based cessation support instead.
"We take this question very seriously in store. Our position is always the same: speak to your midwife. NHS support for stopping smoking during pregnancy is genuinely good and it is there to be used."
Touch of Vape team, Coventry01
NHS Stop Smoking services
Pregnant women receive priority access to NHS Stop Smoking services, which provide behavioural support and access to licensed nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) where appropriate. NRT such as patches and gums can be used during pregnancy under medical supervision. Contact your midwife or GP for a referral.
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Nicotine replacement therapy
Some forms of NRT are considered acceptable during pregnancy under medical supervision, particularly nicotine patches and gum. These are preferred over vaping because they are better understood in the pregnancy context. Always discuss with your midwife or GP before using any NRT during pregnancy.
03
Behavioural support
Behavioural support from a trained Stop Smoking advisor is the most effective non-pharmacological intervention. NHS services provide this free of charge to pregnant women. Combining behavioural support with approved NRT gives the best outcomes.
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Tell your midwife
If you are vaping or smoking during pregnancy, tell your midwife honestly. They are not there to judge you. They are there to help you access the right support. Concealing nicotine use means they cannot give you the most appropriate care.
Touch of Vape Coventry
Talk to Our Coventry Team About Stopping Nicotine During Pregnancy
We can advise on step-down options and point you toward NHS resources, but please also speak to your midwife — they are the right person to support you through this.
To find our Coventry store and see the products we offer, including nicotine-free options, visit our Vape Shop Coventry page.
From our Health guide
More From Our Health Guides
This article is part of our Health guide, where we cover the health questions our customers bring to us most often. Please always follow NHS guidance when health decisions involve pregnancy.
Part of our Health guide
Health Guides
Our Health guide covers vaping and health topics in plain language. For pregnancy specifically, your midwife and the NHS are the most important sources of guidance.
Find more health guides in our Health guide, covering topics from nicotine and the body to safety questions and longer-term health evidence.
More from our Health Guides
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Pregnant and Vaping? Please Speak to Your Midwife.
Free NHS support is available. We can also point you in the right direction when you visit our Coventry store.