Pregnant women should take 'smoking test': what do you think?

People lie. All the time. The data from doing the test in Glasgow showed that pregnant women who smoked lied 25% of the time about smoking in pregnancy.

If it's not important to know whether a woman smokes or not, if it makes no difference to her chances of getting access to, or taking up the offer of, smoking cessation services/advice on cutting down then they should scrap the tests because they are pointless.

But, if some pregnant women are embarrassed to admit they smoke and doing a test with all women (so not pre-judging, everyone treated the same) means that some of these women will get access to services that they might not otherwise have had, then I'm happy to blow into a tube for 2 seconds.

I can't get too distressed about "being called a liar" though. Hell, if not taking you at your word unquestioningly is being called a liar then that happens a lot in life. It really doesn't exercise me.

You should absolutely be able to refuse the test if you want to though. That should be made crystal clear before its administered and that should be the case with all interventions in pregnancy.

I've never smoked, but I also would refuse to have this - pregnancy is the first time most woman have a lot of contact with the NHS as an adult - it's depressing already how patronised and treated like a child who doesn't know better that goes on already - let's not encourage more of that crap.

How long until we see legislation that allows prosecutions of women who fail to stick to the rules in pregnancy? There are prosecutions in the States for "reckless endangerment of the fetus" [sic] Now you may think it would never happen here but I would never have thought we'd see Food Banks in the UK like they have in the USA... but it happened.

It's the gradual erosion of our choices and liberties that starts with this sort of action.

Those of you who have written something along the lines of "I had the test. I'm not a smoker so it didn't bother me"

Why are you not bothered they didn't believe you? Surely it's worse to be a non-smoker and disbelieved?

Dreadful idea. My booking-in appointment four years ago consisted of me being belittled, bullied and patronised for forty-five minutes - and this was without a smoking "lie detector" test. This is not about smoking, it's about having an excuse to tread women and their rights into the carpet.

Especially angry about this at a time when there is a shortage of midwives and they have so little time available for establishing a relationship of trust and support, which is what women really need in pregnancy. We seem to be edging closer to a "Handmaid's Tale" vision of society every year and it terrifies me.

I had the test, I don't smoke so it didn't bother me.

I hate smoking, especially in pregnancy - but this is ridiculous & smacks way too much of police state - they'll be dishing out nice little mao suits before we know it

What a horrible waste of public funds this would be, and a complete violation of our rights. Agree this is a slippery slope towards treating women as vessels rather than individuals. I have never smoked but I'd strongly consider refusing this get if 'enforced'

WTAF?? seriously?? who comes up with this shit?? load of bollocks. if women wish to continue smoking through pregnancy whilst knowing all of the risks involved that up to them. i for one would refuse it. i am not some child who cant be trusted to tell the truth.

I don't think this goes far enough tbh.

Why aren't we breath testing up-duffed wimmin at each appointment too?

Joking of course, what a lot of shit. Another attempt to divide and conquer the plebs from some arsehole in government somewhere.

Last I heard the cost of tobacco related illness on the nhs was 2 billion, while tobacco taxes raise 10 billion. They don't really want us all to stop smoking but bashing pregnant smokers makes it look like they care

I gave up smoking when I was pregnant (2010/1) and took this test. I didn't really think anything of it, tbh. It could be used to test for carbon mmonoxide leaks in homes, I suppose??

If someone is lying about smoking when pregnant then are they going to engage with the smoking cessation services if they were "caught out" by this test? Unlikely.

Where I live we we already take this test at booking in appt. I asked thr midwife if they get many people lying about smoking, and said no, the vast majority of women are quite honest. I never thought anything of taking the test, but then I don't smoke.

not believing you is nothing new - 20 years ago as a youngish pregnant mum-to-be, because DD was "small for dates" I was monitored daily at the hospital. Every single bloody time I was lectured about how I shouldn't be smoking (had never and have never smoked), and they all refused to put on my notes that I didn't smoke. I was a lot less bolshy back then so wasn't as forceful as I ought to have been. But every midwife refused to consider that being a pre-pregnancy 36-24-36 measurement might affect the pubis-belly button measurement, particularly if the baby was curled up round my middle.

Now with an actual test to be able to do to catch me out, they'd have been even more unbearable. In fairness I did have a couple of lovely midwives eventually who stopped stressing about DDs pre-birth size when she arrived two whole pounds heavier than their predictions three days earlier, and did apologise to me.

Exactly, it's so patronising and such a waste of time. "Do you smoke?" "No." "Don't believe you, blow into this tube."

i had a god awful pregnancy thanks to my caring midwife.

i was 37 when i found out i was pregnant, and after 9 pregnancies of doing everything right and miscarrying from 9 weeks through to 7 months, i kind of let my guard drop a bit with this pregnancy.

with regards to testing, i was asked to take the HIV test, all screening tests and the smoking tests...i refused them all apart from the basic screening for iron levels and that type of thing.

well if i did, the 1.5hours at my booking in appointment was basically the MW telling me that i was 37 and a geriatric mother, and the risk of me having a down syndrome was extremely high given my age. honestly i sat there feeling like i was doing the worse thing ever....in the end i said look i am 37, i am not old, i am not dying, i'm having a baby which apparently is very wrong as far as you are concerned, if the worse that happens is my baby has down syndrome then i will still consider myself very blessed!!! didn't shut her up mind up....

every appointment after that my age and down syndrome were brought in to it!

9 months later, after smoking approximately 6 cigarettes throughout my entire pregnancy -not something i am proud of let me tell you - but from smoking 20+ a day i considered this to be a major acheivement, after telling the midwife this, she kind of brushed it aside and said "don't worry about that you'll be fine"..." now are you sure because of your age you don't want the amnio or blood tests done"...i mean seriously WTF is 37 really that old these days.

anyway i am pleased to say, my daughter was born 11 days over her due date, extremely healthy weight (9lb 12ozs) and is a happy well adjusted littled toddler

This is my third pregnancy and they've taken my word on height weight at all of them (3 different MWs) unless I said I didn't know. Everyone knows if they smoke or not, ergo no need for a test. Job done.

I would also have refused the test if it were offered when I was pregnant. My body is my own when I'm pregnant and can do what I bloody well like with it, including having an abortion.

Also most women don't smoke when pregnant. The vast majority of those who do know where to seek help and manage to at least cut their smoking down to a minimum. The few who don't probably have a load of other problems - and this will be identified by the booking in questions anyway. Or they won't get booked in until really late or get any help with pregnancy at all. A mandatory "blow into this tube" test won't help reach out to vulnerable women.

Meanwhile all mostly responsible women would be patronised and infantilised by this test. It's the worst idea I've heard this century. I was utterly appalled when I heard about it this morning.

smoking test? how stupid.

there's no routine blood testing for measles immunity or to determine if mum has STREP B. nor routine checking baby's mouth for tongue-tie. these would be far more useful and in some cases life-changing if not life - saving!

I don't smoke and even if I did I'd refuse it.

agree with freddie - they were high

I'd agree to a cake/chips eating test though yum

'but on that analysis they should just ask our weight and height rather than measuring.'

In 2 pregnancies that is exactly what they did. In my 3rd they wanted to measure me and I told them I really hadn't grown since I last gave birth and coukd tell her my weight.

She didn't seem that worried tbh.

and they cant force it,you just say no!they cant refuse to give you antenatal care just because you wont take a test.

Lying during pregnancy!! How dare the dirty fuckers!!

Berate them and take their kids from birth!!!!!!

I dont see the point,make sure mothers know there is help available if they want to stop and that they know the risks of smoking,what else can you do?

what would they do if it comes back positive?nothing.its pointless.and i would decline it if offered,as i am a non smoker and dont need it.ridiculous stupid idea.

Nobody measured my height at either booking in. They took my word for it. My weight I had no clue so I weighed myself there and then.

Noboy felt they had to check to see if I was lying about being 163cm instead of 170cm or 158cm tall. Same thing with this bollocks smoking test.

Re CO monitors they should be positioned next to each gas appliance. My cooker and boiler are close enough to share one alarm. The MW smoking test is not a test of faulty gas appliances.

Pointless paternalistic woman blaming with zero benefits to care in pregnancy.

Women inclined to lie (as is their right anyway) will simply refuse the test. All others will have their relationships with healthcare professionals potentially undermined. As has been previously said even if they do catch some out and refer to smoking cessation then it is unlikely to be successful at actually helping reduce smoking.

I suspect it is for monitoring purposes and nothing else. I would refuse the test on principle. I don't smoke.