Information  /  Vaping in pregnancy

If you are pregnant and smoke, stopping smoking is one of the most important things you can do for you and your baby. Licensed nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is the recommended first option, but if vaping helps you stop smoking and stay smokefree, it is safer than continuing to smoke.

Last reviewed: 25th September 2026

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This reflects the current position of the Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group. Vaping is not risk-free, but the comparison is with the much greater and well-established harms of continuing to smoke during pregnancy.

Read the Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group guidance on the Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) website.

Cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide and thousands of other chemicals. Carbon monoxide reduces the oxygen available to a developing baby, and smoking in pregnancy increases the risk of serious complications.

Vapes do not burn tobacco and do not produce tar or carbon monoxide. That is why, for someone who would otherwise continue smoking, vaping is expected to be much less harmful.

Research on vaping in pregnancy is more limited than research on smoking or licensed NRT, so continued monitoring is important.

The Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group says the strongest trial evidence to date found nicotine vapes were more effective than nicotine patches for helping pregnant smokers quit and did not show an increase in adverse maternal or baby outcomes compared with patches. The recommendation remains: if the alternative is smoking, support vaping.

If vaping is what has enabled you to stop smoking, staying away from cigarettes is the priority. You do not need to stop nicotine abruptly because you are pregnant.

Talk to a midwife, pharmacist or stop-smoking adviser about NRT, vaping and what will give you the best chance of staying smokefree.

Second-hand cigarette smoke is known to be harmful during pregnancy and should be avoided. The evidence on passive vape aerosol is very different and suggests much lower risk, but it is reasonable to avoid unnecessary exposure where possible.

A smoke-free home and car protects the pregnant person and baby. Partners and family members who smoke can also use free NHS support to quit, which can make it easier for everyone to stay smokefree.