Maternal smokeless tobacco use and adverse pregnancy outcome.

This study was conducted to determine the association between prolonged smokeless tobacco (ST) use for more than 5 years by mothers and pregnancy outcome. It was a retrospective cohort study done on department of paediatrics and department of gynecology & obstetrics, Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Dhaka from January 2009 to December 2010. A total of 340 mother-neonate pairs were included in the study. A total of 170 mothers using smokeless tobacco for more than 5 years and their recently delivered newborn infants (mother-neonate pair) were enrolled as cases and 170 mother-neonate pairs without history of taking ST as controls. Frequency of spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, preterm delivery and LBW baby in case & control groups was assessed. Smokeless tobacco used by mothers for >5 years had significant association with spontaneous abortion (p<0.01), stillbirth (p<0.01), preterm delivery (p<0.001) & LBW baby (p<0.001) and carries a risk of having spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, preterm delivery & LBW 2.2 times, 2.1 times, 2.9 times & 3.3 times respectively more than non users of smokeless tobacco. It can be concluded that prolonged use of smokeless tobacco for more than 5 years is significantly associated with spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, preterm delivery and LBW baby.