Extreme heat exposure during Pregnancy


 

Intense heat exposure can be harmful to pregnant women. Researchers like Cheng postdoc at the University’s Heat and Health Research Incubator have been creating studies to replicate what tens of millions of pregnant women experience in their daily lives.   Epidemiological studies have shown how heat exposure can result in poor outcomes such as preterm birth, low birth weight, stillbirth, and congenital anomalies in the fetus. Studies done on more than 400,000 pregnant women in southern California found that heat exposure during pregnancy increased the risk of maternal illness during labor. The normal human body has an internal temperature of 37 degrees Celsius. When the body is overheated it sweats to lose heat.

 

 In drought regions where temperature averages 31 degrees Celsius, many women have no choice but to work in direct sun such as farming, collecting firewood, and walking daily. Many of these women reported sleeplessness, racing hearts, and faintness. Some of these women showed high blood pressure and some pregnancies ended in miscarriages or premature birth. This is why pregnant women must have normal core temperatures. Other studies have shown that pregnant women with high fevers have been linked to fetal abnormalities.

 

Chronic heat stress can lead to smaller placenta and ill-nourished fetuses. Heat stress can reduce uterine blood flow, which feeds the placenta. This chronic heat stress results in preterm labor or stillborn babies. Researchers have been trying to solve this problem by educating women about the most sensitive weeks of pregnancy and having cultural communities accept the dangers of heat exposure for pregnant women. Planting trees for shade to avoid direct heat exposure can minimize the risk of heat stress. Moreover, insulation and cooling systems in buildings. 

Posted by: Genesis Galindo (Week #2)

https://www.science.org/content/article/how-much-heat-dangerous-during-pregnancy

 

 

 

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 3, 2023 at 3:34 PM

    This is really interesting and something I had never thought about before! My immediate thought after reading this was thinking about how this affects people who do not have the privilege to stay out of direct heat. Those with more money may be able to stop working while pregnant in order to avoid such, whereas those less wealthy don't have this option. It would be really interesting to dive more deep into the economical consequences of heat exposure during pregnancy.
    -Payton Carroll

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  2. Megan WinklerOctober 4, 2023 at 6:39 AM

    Hi Genesis! What an interesting topic. I had a similar thought to the previous commenter. It's sad that many women cannot enjoy the luxury of rest during their pregnancy, and even sadder to know that it could be negatively impacting their children. I wonder how this factors into high infant mortality and miscarriage rates in underdeveloped parts of the world, specifically the ones that deal with consistant, extreme heat.

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  3. AnonymousOctober 4, 2023 at 9:01 AM

    Hi Genesis! This is such an interesting topic. Like the other commenters, I also wonder if this is one of the factors as to why infant mortality and instances of fetal problems are elevated in underdeveloped parts of the world where in some deal with extreme heat conditions. It is important to be educating those who can get pregnant but also addressing it in other larger organizations like work places that would require a person to work in extreme heat that pregnant people can not do such things. I wonder if there is another alternative solution to this other than avoiding it.
    - Lyssa Cunha

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