Women who smoke cigarettes while pregnant are putting their daughters at risk of developing ovarian and breast cancer, according to new research from the Australian National University.
The study, which was published in the Human Reproduction journal and led by Dr Alison Behie, found mothers who regularly smoked while pregnant gave birth to daughters who had an earlier age of first menstruation.
The research called upon "a unique data set" compiled by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Australian Institute of Family Studies and the Department of Social Services, which assessed the health outcomes of 1500 girls every two years.
Dr Behie, a biological anthropologist who is pregnant with her own daughter, said the scientific community was still discovering that major aspects of our biology and behaviours were determined before we are born.
"I started this research before I was pregnant and it has taken on a whole new meaning for me," he said.
"We know the mother's exposure to stress, such as smoking in this case, can influence the long-term health of the child.
"Understanding factors that lead to early menarche, especially preventable ones, are important given these long-term health implications and increased cancer risk for women."
Dr Behie said her study would help mothers better understand the health impact smoking has on their unborn children, with the habit already linked to reduced birth weight, weakened lung capacity, asthma and obesity.
"This study came about from a general interest in prenatal stress and what that means for child development," she said.
"There is handful of other studies that have linked this but this is the first time we've looked at Australian females.
"Other studies point to the mother's own age at menarche, as well as diet, weight and stress during childhood."
Dr Behie said previous studies had been conducted from a health perspective, while her study was more concerned with why the link existed.
Last year, a report found Canberra was the worst in its peer group for women smoking during pregnancy.
The report, released by the National Health Performance Authority, also found Canberra had the second-highest infant and child death rates when compared with similar high-income metropolitan areas.
About one in 10 ACT women smoked during pregnancy - more than five times higher than Sydney's north shore and beaches where only 1.8 per cent of expectant mothers smoked. Nationally nearly 14 per cent of pregnant women smoked.
Last week, the ANU research found two thirds of Australian smokers will be killed by their habit unless they are able to quit.
The research, which was published in the international journal BMC Medicine, found smoking just 10 cigarettes a day doubled the risk of dying prematurely and that on average, smokers died 10 years earlier than non-smokers.
