More than 70% of women say they want to quit smoking. More than half report having tried to quit in the past year. The chance of quitting and staying quit is about the same for both men and women, but there may be some ways women are different (see the section below, “Differences between women and men”).
Quitting can help reduce the risk of many of the health effects listed above. The risk of heart disease is greatly reduced just 1 to 2 years after quitting. The risk of stroke can return to that of a non-smoker within 2 to 5 years after quitting.
Many women are afraid to quit for fear of gaining weight. Some women who quit smoking do add a few pounds, mostly in the first year. Figures vary, but women gain an average of around 10 pounds after quitting. This amount of weight gain can usually be controlled through diet and exercise. And the health benefits of quitting are much greater than any problems posed by a small weight gain.
Differences between women and men
Some studies have shown there may be differences in men and women who are trying to quit smoking. A few studies, for instance, found that nicotine replacement therapies seemed to help men more than women. Studies of other medicines, such as bupropion (Zyban®) and varenicline (Chantix®) have not found such a difference — men and women had the same success rates. Some of these studies used counseling or group support, which seemed to help both men and women quit and stay quit.
There is also a question about how monthly hormone changes can affect pre-menopausal women as they are quitting smoking. Study results have been mixed about whether it works better for women to try and quit during the first or last parts of their menstrual cycles. Most of the studies seem to support the idea that women may have stronger urges to smoke just before their menstrual periods are due to start. This is about the same time women may have pre-menstrual symptoms. Because of this, some experts recommend that women quit smoking after the pre-menstrual symptoms have passed. If you choose to do this, you may want to make a plan to deal with any pre-menstrual urges to smoke that may show up 2 or 3 weeks later.
Get help to quit
You don’t have to do it alone. In fact, quitting tools such as phone-based quitting programs, support groups, and medicines can double your chances of quitting and staying quit. For more information, see our document called Guide to Quitting Smoking, as well as our other publications listed below. Or call us at 1-800-227-2345.
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