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I too am a smoker. Been trying the patch off and on for two years. My little sister, mom, and uncle all used the gum. My sister chewed it for about 4 years, mom about 6 months, and uncle for years, but all have stopped smoking and have been gum free for years now. I think it's got to be better to chew the gum than to smoke. Yes you are still getting nicotine, but you are cutting out the 2000 or so other chemicals that the cigarettes contain. I am about to try the gum since I work out and the patch always comes off when I sweat and/or take a shower. Best of luck.....I knwo how hard it is. I have only been smoking for 4 years, but find letting go of it is the hardest thing ever.

You mentioned how long you been smoking and I realized I haven't posted that info. Considering I am 32 and started smoking at age 14 that makes what...18 years!

My mom was the same way. She had been smoking since she was 15 and quit when she was 33. I know my four years seems miniscule to 18, but I think I am just as addicted. I did smoke for a while in my 20's then quit and started again when I was 32. My uncle and my mom are perfect examples of long term smokers who quit. I intend to beat this nasty habit.....not only do I want a baby, I don't want to have a child and then get sick. I really wish I could wave a magic wand and make quitting simple, but obviously we can't and have to do this for greater things.

Hello, I haven't had a cigarette now for almost 8 months, and neither has my hubby. We quit using prescribed wellbutrin. I've never had anything else work for me and we tried everything. At one point I believed that we would be smokers forever. We were really motivated after being present for my father's death from cancer at the age of 54. That pushed us to quit as we realized that it would be horrible for either of us to see the other go that way. Wellbutrin really does work, and keep in mind also that every time you try to quit and fail your chances for succeeding next time increase considerably! Hope this helps anyone who is trying to quit!

frances, I read that the wellbutrin can have hellacious side effects in a mind altering way - this evidently did not happen for you? Did your insurance cover the prescription?

Katt, I have taken Wellbutrin in the past for mild depression and I had no side effects. Honestly, I never thought of going that route, but since you have been smoking for a while, I would consider it, or at least talk with a doctor about it. I bet it would be very helpful in dealing with some of the unpleasant emotions that come along with quitting an addiction. Good luck and let me know what happens. I'm rooting for you !

thank you so much Tracy88 I appreciate the support. I always just thought eh I can quit when I get pregnant but I guess I am deterring the pregnancy even more. I have an appt coming up and I just found out my Rx plan covers "smoking deterrents" whatever that means and my health plan must cover "group" for cessation because they have two indivualized programs one is self paced and the other is via telephone and I guess a $50 incentive, hmm...worth checking in to. cya babydust!!

i hate to say this but my husband and i smoked since we we're teens and he quit last april/05 and i quit halloween COLD TURKEY... it was so hard for me but just having his support helped. yeah i snuck in a few cigg's now and then but i just thought about all the nasy crap that smoking does to you and that made me want to quit. plus i would like to stay looking my age and smell pretty. stains on teeth and stinky fingers. stinky body, yuk. i get around people now that smoke and it makes me sick. so my advice-just throw then down the toilet and be done. be strong girl.

Hi Katt, I quit cold turkey in 2000 while trying to conceive the first time. I also gained around 50lbs. In 2005 I started again, because stress of ttc #2 was getting to me. I quit 3 weeks ago. I am one of the lucky people who can smoke and stop without a problem. My DH on the other hand had a very hard time quiting. His doc prescribed an anti depressant Wellutrin. Side effect of welbutrin is a nasty taste in your mouth when smoking. It took him less then a month to give up the smokes completely, though he does have urges occasionally. I dont know how you feel about taking such drugs, but it does work. Sorry for the long message. Good luck quiting and conceiving :).

I quit using the patch after smoking heavy for 9 years. I know that if I wanted to get pg then I had to give it up. Also drinking a lot of pink grapefruit juice is actually said to rid your body of the addiction faster. I quit and it was my 4th time trying. It's now been about 2 months and the only time I wanted to smoke was when I got a BFN. Good Luck!!!!Once you stop just remember to stick with it.

Hello all. I have never smoked, but 3 people close to me have and quit. The main common thing I have noticed from everyone I know that has quit is that "cutting back" and tapering off does not work. I have also noticed that, when a person first quits, he/she should stay away from situations that cause cravings, including avoiding other smokers (who are usually not extremely supportive to those trying to quit). My dad quit without any help the moment he found out how bad smoking is for you (late 60s/or early 70s). My now dh smoked when we met. When I found out he smoked, I told him that I didn't date people that smoke but that we could be friends. He quit immediately with no help and the rest is history (that was 7 years ago). My mom, however, was one of the truly drug-addicted smokers. She quit in the late 80s for about 9 months using the patch and gum. She gained some weight and went right back to it. She smoked through having breast cancer and was sooo positive that smoking had nothing to do with the fact she got cancer. Then in 2000, she was having balance problems. She got checked out and they found brain tumors. They could tell it was cancer and it had spread from another place. They did tests and found out that she had Stage 4 lung cancer. I think a lot of people think that their lungs could be an issue, but they don't think about the effects of it spreading. After she was diagnosed, she quit again for good using the patch and chewing on straws (she had the hand/mouth psychological addiction as well). It was too little too late of course. She died a year and a half later (long time for such an aggressive cancer). I took care of her for the last 6 months of her life. I know everyone has to die some way, but this way is very low on my list after seeing her deterioration. I took leave from my job and sold everything I could that was paid for so I could make my house payment while I was taking care of her (still haven't totally financially recovered). Plus, luckily my mom had good insurance, because each chemo treatment was $11,000. I used to tell my mom a long time ago that she was going to die from cancer and never see any of my kids. Now, here I am ttc for over 2 years with no luck. I also have to live with the fact that, if I ever do have a baby, I won't have a mom to help me out with anything and give me advice. Smoking really affects everyone around you. I hope you don't take any of this as some non-smoker that doesn't understand griping at you. I just wanted to tell you all this so maybe it would help give you motivation to quit. I wish all of you guys the best of luck and hope you can find a way to quit for yourselves, your family, and your kids/future kids.

Hi Ann1. I am so sorry for your loss. I lost my mom at the age of 9 to colon cancer and know exactly how you feel. I hope that whe you do have kids they will be as good to you as you were to your mother. When I had my son, I knew that with my family history of cancer (my dad also died from lymphoma when I was 6 months pregnant and numerous other relatives from both sided with cancer history) I couldn't take a day for granted. Good luck to you and hope that it will happen for you soon. (I too have been ttc for 2 years.

What made me quit for good and the reason is because my mom smoked through her pregnancy with me and I have had respiratory problems since I was born. I was hospilized for 2 weeks when I was 11 months for sever phnemonia and asthma attacks that were about life threatening. Plus I have never really had good health and I definitely attribute that to the smoking. So when I decided I was going to ttc and I put my heart and soul into it I decided I will do everything possible to have a happy healthy baby. I don't wish any of my health problems on my baby. I just hope that I will get the chance to be a mom. My dad is really against me even trying to get pg because of my health concerns. But I know in my heart that it is the right thing to do. Plus just remember that smoking is way damaging to your fertility and can really mess things up. You want your baby to have a healthy environment to grow in. My dr. also told me that trying to quit smoking while you are pg can be harmful to the fetus if there is a lot of stress. So the sooner the better. Also Ann1 so sorry to hear about your loss. I don't think a mom could have asked for a better daughter. I am sure you will be blessed with a child.

Hi ladies, I thought I'd ad my two cents. I was a smoker for 13 years - smoked 1 -2 packs a day (that is...LOTS!). What finally did it for me was I got so sick and tired of worrying all the time about my body. Worrying that I was creating cancer in my body, and worrying that I knew I'd have to quit one day, and didn't know how or when that would be. I quit cold turkey one morning and it was the hardest thing ever. I felt so emotional - I cried and cried and felt like I lost my best friend (well, I kind of did..but a 'friend' who wasn't a healthy friendship for sure). But, after a week or so (once the 'physical' addiction was overwith) I really started to notice that I felt free. It sounds corny, but it's true. When you're a regular smoker, you don't realize how much the habit controls your life. I felt free to go to any restaurant and not stress about how/where I'd get my next smoke in. Free to travel on a bus or a plane and be able to arrive where I was going without thinking "aiiiee..where can I smoke!?!!!" One tip I'll add is that I carried a water bottle everywhere I went. That really helped whenever I felt like smoking or eating, I'd drink water. Quitting smoking is hard, but it's the proudest thing I've ever done for myself and for dh. Now I can ttc without the added guilt that I would have if I'd never quit. It's been 4 years..and counting... Best of luck to all of you trying to quit - you can do it, and it's totally worth it!

Just for the record, I am going to try to quit AGAIN tomorrow morning. After reading all the posts here, I have been touched and motivated to do better for myself and future child. I am like Natasha.....I just sit there wondering what the hell I am doing to my body, and I can't take it anymore. I have to lay down the law with my mind, because I will often quit for a week, then start up again because DH smokes. I just have to learn to stand on my own two feet and quit falling back onto something that isn't even real. Wish me luck.....PLEASE!!!!!

Wow. Ann, I am also very sorry for your loss. That was a very powerful, emotional post and I want to print it and show to the smokers that I know.