Sammanfattning
Smoking during pregnancy is associated with several pregnancy complications such as preterm birth, intrauterine growth restriction, placental abruption and stillbirth. In Sweden smoking during early pregnancy has decreased from 31 % in 1983 to 7 % 2008. At the same time the use of snuff in women in childbearing age has increased drastically. Swedish snuff seems to be less harmful than cigarette smoking with regard to risks for cardiovascular disease and cancer, but until recently the effects of snuff on pregnancy complications has been rather unknown. However, in recent studies we have reported increased risks of preterm birth and stillbirth in pregnancies in which the mother used snuff in the beginning of pregnancy. The use of snuff during pregnancy seems thus not to be a harmless alternative to smoking.