Mums-to-be tested for Carbon Monoxide

Pregnant women up and down the Country are being offered breath tests to check the levels of carbon monoxide in their bodies. This will help to protect the health of both the mother and unborn child, by spotting high levels of carbon monoxide, which can harm a baby’s development.

Not only does the simple breath test show if the pregnant mother is smoking or if she is living in a smoky environment, it can also show signs of a boiler or heater malfunction, as carbon monoxide can enter the environment from the faulty appliance.

Smoking during pregnancy can have harmful effects for both the mother and the unborn child, including miscarriage, premature birth and low birth weight. Once born the child is at an increased risk of cot death and the possibility of lung damage and chest infections in their early years.

Jane Wright, Warwickshire PCT’s Stop Smoking Service Manager, said: “Research shows that women who smoke are less likely to carry their babies to full-term, with a 26 per cent increased risk they will miscarry or experience a stillbirth. The test is a way to help mothers do all they can to ensure a healthy start in life for their baby”.

Bedfont Scientific, based in Rochester, Kent have built on the success of the piCO+ Smokerlyzer monitor, which is the only carbon monoxide monitor on the market with the ability to analyse breath samples for adult, adolescent and pregnant mothers by developing the Micro+ which as well as the benefits of the piCO+ includes a one-touch conversion setting. This converts a reading from a pregnant mother into foetal COHb% showing the mum-to-be the effect smoking is having on her unborn child, using the familiar and powerful traffic light system.

Bedfont Scientific has been manufacturing smoking cessation products for more than 20 years. The Smokerlyzer range is clinically proven and has become the benchmark used throughout the world by health professionals working in smoking cessation programmes and research.