Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)

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Date: April 2026, Version 2.0

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Smoking during pregnancy can harm your baby. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), including patches, chewing gum, mouth spray, nasal spray and lozenges, is safer than continuing to smoke.

What is NRT?

NRT can help you to stop smoking. Stopping smoking often causes withdrawal symptoms that can be difficult to cope with. Nicotine replacement products, such as patches, chewing gum, mouth spray, nasal spray, and lozenges (Nicorette®, NiQuitin®, Nicotinell®), provide a controlled dose of nicotine that can help withdrawal symptoms.

Benefits

What are the benefits of using NRT during pregnancy

NRT can help you to stop smoking. Smoking during pregnancy increases the likelihood of miscarriage, stillbirth, some birth defects, premature birth, and poor growth of the baby in the womb. Babies born to women who smoke are at higher risk of risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome or “cot death”).

Risks

Are there any risks of using NRT in pregnancy?

Studies have shown that NRT in the form of patches, chewing gum, mouth spray, nasal spray, or lozenges is safer for your baby than smoking. 

Studies that each include at least 1,000 pregnant women have not raised concerns that use of NRT causes miscarriage, birth defects, preterm birth, lower birth weight, or learning and behavioural problems in the child.

Alternatives

Are there any alternatives to using NRT in pregnancy?

Some people manage to stop smoking without NRT. However, you can use NRT during pregnancy if you need it. NRT is safer for your baby than continuing to smoke.

Will my baby need extra monitoring during pregnancy?

As part of their routine antenatal care, most women will be offered a scan at around 20 weeks of pregnancy to look for birth defects and to check the baby’s growth. 

Your baby will not need any extra monitoring due to use of NRT in pregnancy. 

Are there any risks to my baby if the father used NRT?

We would not expect any increased risk to your baby if the father used NRT before or around the time you became pregnant.

Who can I talk to if I have questions?

If you have any questions regarding the information in this leaflet, please discuss them with your health care provider. They can access more detailed medical and scientific information from www.uktis.org.

The NHS also has an information leaflet called Stop smoking during pregnancy which includes advice on NRT products.

How can I help to improve drug safety information for pregnant women in the future?

Our online reporting system (MyBump Portal) allows women who are currently pregnant to create a secure record of their pregnancy, collected through a series of questionnaires. You will be asked to enter information about your health, whether or not you take any medicines, your pregnancy outcome and your child's development. You can update your details at any time during pregnancy or afterwards. This information will help us better understand how medicines affect the health of pregnant women and their babies. Please visit the MyBump Portal to register.

General information
Sadly, miscarriage and birth defects can occur in any pregnancy.

Miscarriage occurs in about 1 in every 5 pregnancies, and 1 in every 40 babies are born with a birth defect. This is called the ‘background risk’ and happens whether medication is taken or not.

Most medicines cross the placenta and reach the baby. For many medications this is not a problem. However, some medicines can affect a baby’s growth and development.

If you take regular medication and are planning to conceive, you should discuss whether your medicine is safe to continue with your doctor/health care team before becoming pregnant. If you have an unplanned pregnancy while taking a medicine, you should tell your doctor as soon as possible.

If a new medicine is suggested for you during pregnancy, please make sure that the person prescribing it knows that you are pregnant. If you have any concerns about a medicine, you can check with your doctor, midwife or pharmacist.

Our Bumps information leaflets provide information about the effects of medicines in pregnancy so that you can decide, together with your healthcare provider, what is best for you and your baby.