Researchers warn warmer temperatures can double the risk of miscarriages for pregnant women.
A study that started in 2017 and finished late last year warns that hot summers can double the risk of miscarriages and stillbirths, even in cooler countries such as the UK or Canada.
The Faculty of Public Health at the Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research studied 800 pregnant women in southern India.
The study explored “the relationship between occupational heat exposure, physiological heat strain indicators, and adverse outcomes in pregnant women.”
Roughly 400 of the women worked outside where it was hot, and the other half worked in cooler environments such as schools and hospitals. All participants were from the same state of Tamil Nadu.
Researchers found that the women who worked outside were twice as likely to have a miscarriage than their counterparts.
The women in cooler environments had a 2% risk of a miscarriage while the women working outside had increased their risk to 5%.
In the same direction, the risk of a still or premature birth was 2.6% compared to 6.1%, and a low birth weight risk 4.5% compared to 8.4%.
The researchers recommended women in warmer climates to avoid persistent time in the sun, properly shade themselves when exposed to heat, avoid exercise and tanning on hotter days, and keep hydrated to limit any pregnancy risks.
BBC reported on the study with comment from a UK-based professor saying that Indian women are at “the forefront of experiencing climate change.”
World Health Organization warns of “existential threat”
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also connected climate change with an increased pregnancy risk, even calling the issue an “existential threat.”
“Pregnant women, babies, and children face extreme health risks from climate catastrophes that warrant urgent attention,” their website states.
It further reads: “Harm can begin even in the womb, leading to pregnancy-related complications” and for kids, “consequences can last a lifetime, affecting the development of their bodies and brains as they grow.”
The WHO’s Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus has recently been warning the world about a non-existent “Disease X” that he warned could be 20x worse than COVID.
