Climate change: How increase in dangerously hot days affects pregnant women

A first-time analysis on the impact of dangerously hot days, on pregnant women finds that as such days increase in numbers, there are greater chances of pre-term births and maternal health challenges.

 

A pregnancy heat risk day is one when maximum temperatures exceed 95 per cent of historic local temperatures. In the 940 cities in 247 countries analysed in a report by the not for profit, Climate Central, it was found that the number of such days had almost doubled in the last five years.

 

Nearly one-third of countries experienced an additional month’s worth of dangerous pregnancy heat-risk days each year. The greatest increases were observed in regions with limited access to healthcare, including in the Caribbean, Central and South America, the Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa.

 

During the past five years, India experienced an average of six additional pregnancy heat-risk days each year. Climate change accounted for nearly one-third of the average annual number of pregnancy heat-risk days in India. The additional number of days ranged from six to 19.

 

Sikkim, with 32 days, has reported the highest pregnancy heat-risk days , followed by 24 days in Goa and 18 in Kerala. These rises are on account of climate change.

 

Of all the Indian cities analysed, Panaji experienced the most additional pregnancy heat-risk days each year (39) on average during the past five years. Thiruvananthapuram followed this with 36 days. Mumbai reported 26 days of pregnancy heat-risk days added by climate change during 2020-2024. Chennai, Bengaluru and Pune also recorded seven additional pregnancy heat-risk days.

 

Every country analysed experienced an increase in pregnancy heat-risk days due to climate change, caused primarily by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas. In most countries and territories (222 out of 247), climate change at least doubled the annual number of pregnancy heat-risk days during the last five years, across all continents, compared to a world without climate change. In nearly one-third of countries and territories (78 out of 247), climate change added at least an extra month’s worth of pregnancy heat-risk days each year, from 2020 to 2024. For some countries and cities, all of the pregnancy heat-risk days experienced over the last five years were caused by climate change. In other words, in a world without climate change, these places would not have seen temperatures at or above the 95th temperature percentile during the past five years.

 

Extreme heat is one of the most dangerous climate risks for maternal and infant health. Research links high temperatures during pregnancy to increased risks of complications such as hypertension, gestational diabetes, hospitalization, severe maternal morbidity, stillbirth, and pre-term birth, which can lead to lifelong health impacts for children.

Health