"Higher Temperatures Raise Risks of Preterm Birth, Stillbirth, and Low Birth Weight"
Impact Differs According to Socioeconomic Factors
As heatwaves are lasting longer than before due to climate change, new research shows that the health of pregnant women and their fetuses is facing a serious threat.
The Economist reported on the 22nd (local time), citing experts, that "as temperatures rise, the risks of preterm birth, stillbirth, and low birth weight for pregnant women increase."
"Higher Temperatures Increase Risks of Preterm Birth, Stillbirth, and Low Birth Weight"
According to the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), for every 1-degree Celsius increase in the average temperature experienced by a pregnant woman during the month before delivery, the risk of preterm birth rises by about 4%. Preterm birth not only increases the risk of neonatal death but can also negatively affect lifelong health, leading to cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems, and developmental disorders.
In fact, in China, analyses show that more than 13,000 cases of preterm birth each year from 2010 to 2020 were related to heatwaves, with about one-quarter of these cases estimated to be influenced by climate change. In countries such as India and Nigeria, tens of thousands of newborn deaths over the past 20 years have been found to be directly or indirectly connected to heatwaves.
The Economist reported that the impact of heatwaves varied among pregnant women.
According to a paper published in JAMA Network Open, the journal of the American Medical Association, in May last year, the risk of preterm birth among all pregnant women increased by an average of 2% after a heatwave. The risk was especially high-up to 4%, or double the average-for women under the age of 29 who had lower educational attainment or were from minority backgrounds.
Impact Varies by Socioeconomic Factors
Professor Lindsay Darrow of the University of Nevada, Reno, explained, "Not all pregnant women experience heatwaves under the same conditions," adding, "Socioeconomic factors such as access to air conditioning, the ability to pay electricity bills, and whether one works indoors contribute to widening health disparities." In fact, in African countries such as Gambia, more than half of pregnant women work in agriculture, exposing them to dangerous levels of heat for most of the day. The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies preterm birth as one of the main causes of global human capital loss.
Experts stress that the health impacts of heatwaves caused by climate change affect the entire population, calling for active measures from governments and society. The Economist highlighted that "in the United States, each preterm birth incurs an economic cost of about $64,000, and in China, preterm births caused by heatwaves result in annual losses of more than $1 billion," emphasizing that "as climate change intensifies, the scale of these losses will only increase."
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