Can Maternal Smoking Double Cerebral Palsy Rates?
Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affect a child’s movement and muscle tone. It often starts in early childhood due to brain damage before or during birth. Many factors can raise the risk, like preterm birth or infections. People sometimes ask if a mother’s smoking during pregnancy can double the chances of cerebral palsy in her baby. The short answer is no, based on current research. No studies directly show maternal smoking doubles cerebral palsy rates.
Scientists have looked at smoking in pregnancy and child health outcomes. For example, one large review of 55 studies with over four million people found kids of smoking moms were about 70 percent more likely to develop ADHD, a different brain-related issue[1]. But even there, experts note this link might come from genetics, not the smoke itself. Moms who smoke may pass on traits that affect child behavior, confusing the real cause.
Other studies point to risks for neurodevelopmental problems from things like a mom’s heart disease before pregnancy[2]. Kids of women with pre-existing artery issues had slightly higher odds of disorders, including some brain conditions. Maternal obesity also ties to higher chances of neurodevelopmental disabilities in children[5]. Air pollution during early pregnancy links to lower birth weight, which can indirectly affect brain growth[3]. Yet none of these mention smoking doubling cerebral palsy specifically.
Cerebral palsy research focuses more on preterm birth complications, like brain bleeds in very early babies[6], or heart defects in newborns[7]. Smoking does harm pregnancy by raising risks of low birth weight and early delivery. These can contribute to cerebral palsy indirectly. But doubling the rate? No evidence supports that claim in the available data.
Prenatal exposures matter for baby brain health. Antihypertensive drugs show mixed links to neurodevelopment in some reviews[4]. The key takeaway from studies is that healthy habits before and during pregnancy help. Quitting smoking is always smart, but it does not appear to double cerebral palsy odds on its own.
Sources
https://www.adhdevidence.org/blog-tags/pregnancy
https://academic.oup.com/hropen/article/2025/4/hoaf074/8342467
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-air-pollution-pregnancy-varying-effects.html
https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jcv2.70080
https://www.endocrinologyadvisor.com/news/maternal-obesity-neurodevelopmental-disorders/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12699354/
http://www.uofmhealth.org/health-lab/study-focus-factors-influencing-brain-development-kids-congenital-heart-disease
