NRT appears to be safe for pregnant women

I found this article from MSNBC.com today, reporting on a study from Denmark which shows that nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is safe for pregnant women. While more study is warranted to confirm this, this study does seem to answer a lot of the questions we have about using NRT in pregnant women. Last year, I was taught that the safety of NRT in pregnant women was unknown, and urged to use great caution when recommending NRT to a pregnant woman. However, based on the results of this study, it seems as though it would be appropriate for pharmacists to recommend NRT to a pregnant woman. This is important because it allows pregnant women to use over-the-counter methods to aid them in quitting smoking, which could save them a substantial amount of money. It also allows health care professionals more flexibility in treating pregnant women who wish to quit smoking, an absolute must for mothers-to-be. To help patients quit smoking, it's important to have as many options as possible on the table, and this study gives us more options for pregnant women.