A new study released this Monday indicates that the increase in temperatures caused by climate change is associated with earlier childbirth in the US.
According to the findings of this study, hot temperatures cause shorter pregnancies than a woman would normally have and thus, increase the risk of poor health in the baby and problems with proper development.
The study suggests that the birth rates were 5 percent higher on days when the temperature was over 90 degrees, stated the University of California, LA.
This is sufficient to take a woman from a pretty healthy pregnancy into a worrisome one, claims Alan Barreca, a UCLA professor of environment and human health and author of the study.
Climate Change may also Impact Women’s Pregnancies
This study which was published in the Nature Climate Change, a British journal, looked at previous birth and temperature data and discovered that around 25000 babies were born prematurely on a yearly basis between 1969 and 1988 because of hot weather.
It was also concluded that the birth rates increased during the days when the temperature was more than 90 degrees. And, when these high temperatures dropped, so did the premature birth rates.
The researchers explain that this pattern shows that hot weather speeds up the delivery and shortens the pregnancy.
Climate Change, Stronger than ever
The increase in temperatures and heat waves are one of the several signs of human-triggered climate change.
By the end of the century, estimates by the National Climate Assessment discovered that there will be up to 30 days of temperature higher than 90 degrees on a yearly basis in the US.
This will continue until we lower the greenhouse gas emissions that lead to global warming.
Why Babies Come Out sooner when it’s Hot?
Even though the exact reason for premature birth due to hot temperatures isn’t entirely clear, the researchers emphasize that the heat may cause cardiovascular stress that may further induce labor.
Plus, heat elevates the oxytocin levels, a hormone which also participates in labor.
According to Barreca, air conditioning may lower the impact of climate change on pregnancies; however, racial and class distinctions may avert some women from accessing air conditioning.
Mitchell Kramer, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at the Northwell Health’s Huntington Hospital in New York claims that more research is necessary; however, it’s certain that we need to help keep pregnant women safe from extreme heat and work on the reasons behind climate change.
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