During pregnancy, you'll do anything to protect your little peanut. That means if you smoked before you conceived, you might have switched from conventional cigarettes to e-cigarettes because you heard they're safer. And if you're a non-smoker, you might have wondered whether secondhand vapor from electronic cigarettes affects your baby.

Here's what we know so far about the safety of vaping and e-cigarettes in pregnancy.

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Key Takeaways
  • E-cigarettes aren't a safe swap during pregnancy. Even though they may contain fewer toxins than regular cigarettes, vaping still delivers nicotine and other potentially harmful chemicals that can raise the risk of complications like miscarriage, preterm birth, low birth weight, and problems with baby's brain and lung development.
  • Secondhand vape exposure can also affect your growing baby. Being around someone who vapes can also expose you to nicotine and other chemicals in the aerosol, so it's best to avoid it as much as possible at home and in social spaces.
  • The safest move is to quit all nicotine with support. Talk with your provider about a plan, counseling, group support, and possibly nicotine replacement therapy.

What are e-cigarettes?

E-cigarettes come in many shapes and sizes: regular cigarettes, cigars, pipes, pens, pocket flashlights, small screwdrivers, and USB memory sticks. The terminology is just as varied — you may hear them called e-cigs, cigalikes, vape pens, personalized vaporizers, or mechanical mods.

Whatever the shape or name, all of these devices deliver nicotine in a vapor (aerosol) instead of the tobacco smoke of a traditional cigarette.

With most e-cigarettes, a heating component in the cartridge warms up the liquid, which releases a vapor that's then inhaled and exhaled (that's why it's known as "vaping," instead of smoking).

The "liquid," known as e-liquid, is a blend of chemicals that can be flavored or unflavored. It can come in varying levels of nicotine — which is why some people claim it allows smokers to graduate down to a lower level and eventually give up nicotine altogether.

Are e-cigarettes safer than regular cigarettes?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) all say that e-cigarettes are not safe, whether or not you're expecting. And they're not approved by the FDA to help you quit smoking.

It's true that vaping likely exposes you to fewer toxic chemicals than conventional cigarettes, which contain a mix of more than 7,000 chemicals (many of which are toxic or cancer-causing). One study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that users who exclusively used e-cigarettes had lower levels of measured carcinogens and toxins in their body's biomarkers, like blood, compared to those who smoked regular cigarettes.

That said, e-cigarettes definitely don't emit harmless water vapor. The liquids in a vape usually contain propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, nicotine, and flavoring chemicals. Some research has shown that when this mixture is heated at a high voltage, other chemicals are formed. Some of them, like formaldehyde, are known to cause cancer.

One 2014 review published by the FDA found that the level of nicotine listed on the labels of e-cigarette cartridges and refill solutions is often significantly different from what's actually in the product.

Since then, e-cigarettes have only been getting stronger. At the time, a vape cartridge had the nicotine equivalent of about 20 cigarettes. A decade later, a cartridge can have as much nicotine as 600 cigarettes, according to the University of California at San Francisco. In early 2025, the FDA proposed a new rule that would limit the amount of nicotine in vapes.

Is vaping dangerous when you're pregnant?

You probably already know that medical groups across the board urge moms to avoid lighting up at all during pregnancy. That goes for conventional cigarettes as well as e-cigarettes, since both contain nicotine.

Nicotine is passed through your bloodstream, past the placenta, and directly to your baby, and it's known to impact brain and lung development in kids. Vapes also contain cancer-causing substances as well as heavy metals and tiny particles that penetrate deep in the lungs.

Over the past decade, researchers have been observing the effects of vaping on pregnant moms and their babies — and what they have found isn't reassuring.

A 2025 review of nine studies involving more than 400,000 pregnant women found that, compared to not smoking, using e-cigarettes significantly increased the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, and small-for-gestational-age babies, which may require hospitalization in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Experts are concerned that nicotine in vapes could also increase the risk for:

After birth, children of mothers who smoked cigarettes during pregnancy are at higher risk of:

  • Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
  • Asthma
  • Colic
  • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Should you be worried about exposure to secondhand e-cigarette smoke during pregnancy?

Even if you aren't actually inhaling, being around someone else who's vaping could still impact you and your little one. Research shows that e-cigarettes emit significant amounts of nicotine, so you could be exposed to secondhand nicotine just by being in the same room when someone's using a vape. Since the aerosol can contain other potentially harmful chemicals, you'd be exposed to those too.

For now, the effects of secondhand e-cigarette vapor aren't fully known. It is clear that secondhand exposure to tobacco cigarettes is definitely associated with some serious health issues, including heart disease, lung cancer, and stroke.

Secondhand tobacco smoke also increases the risk of SIDS. Avoiding smoking during pregnancy, as well as limiting or avoiding exposure to secondhand smoke, are two of the most impactful ways to reduce the risk of SIDS.

Secondhand smoke also causes health problems in children, such as more frequent illnesses, asthma and other breathing problems, and ear infections. Being the child of a smoker also increases the odds of being addicted to nicotine later in life.

Try not to worry if you're occasionally exposed to vapes when you're out and about — it's unavoidable. It's repeated, frequent exposure that's concerning.

To limit secondhand exposure to e-cigarettes, the AAP has asked the government to implement regulations to restrict smoking and tobacco products in workplaces as well as spaces that frequently welcome families and young kids, like playgrounds and schools. For now, no nationwide regulations exist — although some states have laws about when and where e-cigarettes can be used.

How to limit your exposure to cigarette smoke and e-cigarette vapor during pregnancy

As much as possible, try to limit your exposure to cigarette smoke and e-cigarette vapor during pregnancy. Here's how:

  • Avoid all nicotine products, including cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and smokeless tobacco products like chewing tobacco and snus
  • Make your home and car smoke-free
  • If you're not ready to quit smoking, smoke outside the home with a separate layer of clothes and take them off before coming inside, since smoke products can linger on clothes
  • Ask people not to smoke around you
  • Make sure the places you visit (like restaurants) are smoke-free
  • If you're visiting the home of someone you know smokes inside, try to hang out outside whenever possible

Safer ways to quit smoking

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) says there's no evidence to prove that e-cigarettes can help people to stop smoking, and they're not FDA-approved as a smoking cessation device.

In fact, some studies have even shown that vaping makes you significantly less likely to kick a nicotine habit. The only safe option for you and your baby is to quit nicotine altogether. Here's how.

Make a plan

There's no doubt about it: Stopping nicotine is really hard. The good news is many people do it successfully, especially given the added incentive of pregnancy.

"I vaped, but I was able to quit once I found out [I was pregnant]. It was VERY hard, but I kept reading about the effects of smoking on your baby and it scared me enough to toss out the vape and not buy another," says What to Expect Community member 2y1m25. "As far as the cravings, it gets tough, but I replace them with snacks. I've also been drinking a lot of cold water and trying to keep myself distracted. It gets better every day."

To increase the likelihood of becoming a former smoker:

  • Create a "quit plan" (check out NCI's Smokefree.gov for a personalized plan) that features reasons for quitting (including the little bean growing inside of you), smoking triggers (so that you can avoid them), and strategies to help you deal with cravings.
  • Do you find yourself vaping at the same times of the day — for example, with your morning cup of coffee? Try mixing up those routines, so they won't trigger an urge to vape. For example, consider switching to tea instead of coffee.
  • Find stress-relieving tactics that work for you, like joining a fun workout class, listening to music, deep breathing, or meditation.
  • Miss the feeling of having something in your mouth? The American Cancer Society recommends keeping substitutes around to suck or chew on, like raisins, hard candy, or gum.
  • Talk to your doctor about switching to a nicotine-free device that simulates vaping. They might tap into the routine you're craving without the risks of nicotine, although many do contain flavoring and other chemicals.

Get backup from other resources

You don't have to quit alone. In addition to support from family and friends, other resources are available:

  • 1-800-QUIT-NOW hotline provides free one-on-one advice, a model quit plan, educational materials, information on FDA-approved cessation medications, and referrals to local resources.
  • NCI's Smokefree Women program provides information and support to pregnant women and mothers looking for information, advice, or assistance in quitting all nicotine products, including e-cigarettes.
  • The NCI's text messaging service, SmokefreeMOM, provides support, information and tips to pregnant moms. The messages you'll receive depend on your due date and whether you want to reduce or quit entirely.
  • Nicotine Anonymous has online support groups and local smoking cessation programs can be helpful.

Get daily pregnancy tips and support to go tobacco-free with the What to Expect app.

Find counseling

Many people also find counseling from a doctor, therapist, or other smoking cessation professional to be helpful. In fact, some research has found that moms who get counseling are 80% more likely to quit — and less likely to pick up smoking again later.

Ask your doctor about counseling, or check with local clinics or hospitals to see if they have counselors you can meet face-to-face.

Talk to your doctor about nicotine replacement therapy

If you're still struggling to quit, your doctor may be able to help you quit by using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). This includes over-the-counter gums, patches, lozenges, and prescription nasal sprays and inhalers.

These products should be used only with your doctor's supervision, since they still contain nicotine. (The nicotine-free medications Zyban and Chantix generally aren't recommended during pregnancy.)

It's incredibly hard to quit nicotine. But if there's ever a time to do it, it's when you're expecting. Using e-cigarettes during pregnancy puts that second precious life growing inside of you at risk too. Don't hesitate to get all the support you can find to make it happen.