Eureka 2019: Vaping During Pregnancy: Effects on Offspring

For the fifth year in a row, Endocrine News spoke with editors from Endocrine Society journals to get the scoop on the top endocrine discoveries of 2019. Here is part 6 of Eureka! 2019.

Journal of the Endocrine Society associate editor Bülent O. Yildiz, MD, professor at Hacettepe University School of Medicine in Ankara, Turkey, chose “E-Cigarette Exposure Delays Implantation and Causes Reduced Weight Gain in Female Offspring Exposed In Utero,” by Caron, K.M., et. al. also published in October, as his top JES pick of 2019.

“E-cigarette use or vaping is on a daunting rise, particularly in youth with a misperception that it is safe.”

Researchers exposed female mice to e-cigarette vapor resulting in delayed first pregnancy and possible fetal death. Furthermore, e-cigarette exposure in mating mice caused a delay in embryo attachment, and female offspring exposed to e-cigarettes in utero failed to grow to normal size at age 8.5 months. “E-cigarette use or vaping is on a daunting rise, particularly in youth with a misperception that it is safe,” remarks Yildiz.

“This study provides new evidence that vaping not only has unfavorable effects on a woman’s ability to conceive, but it may also adversely influence future health of the newborn, probably through genetic and epigenetic mechanisms,” he says.

Editor’s Note: A full-length feature devoted to this study will be published in an upcoming issue of Endocrine News.