New Research Reveals Shocking Link to Longer Births

The impact of climate change on maternal health has been illuminated by a recent study from Curtin University that indicated exposure to outdoor air pollution and severe temperatures during pregnancy may increase the likelihood of prolonged pregnancy. The study, which was published in Urban Climate, examined almost 400,000 births in Western Australia and discovered a link between longer pregnancies and increased exposure to biothermal stress and fine particulate matter (PM2.5).

According to the study, moms exposed to environmental stressors—specifically, those over 35, first-time mothers, those residing in metropolitan areas, and those with complex pregnancies—were more likely to have pregnancies longer than 41 weeks. Disruptions in endocrine and inflammatory systems that control the timing of labour and delivery have been associated with biothermal stress, a metric that combines ambient temperature, radiant temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and human physiology, in addition to PM2.5 exposure.

This study is the first to look at how climate-related exposures affect protracted pregnancies, even though they have been associated to preterm births in the past. Extreme temperatures and air pollution have been linked by researchers to physiological stress, which may prolong pregnancy. In addition to posing health risks like stillbirth, delivery complications, and developmental problems in early life, prolonged pregnancies might raise the requirement for medical treatments like labour induction or caesarean sections.

The results emphasise the need for focused strategies to reduce health risks for expectant mothers, as climate change is causing extreme weather events to occur more frequently and air quality to deteriorate. In order to safeguard vulnerable pregnant women and newborns, lawmakers and healthcare professionals are asked to take climate-related factors into account while providing maternal care and to put policies like air quality laws and public health campaigns into place.

In order to guarantee safer pregnancy outcomes, the study highlights how crucial it is to incorporate environmental risk factors into maternal health assessments. Addressing air pollution and temperature extremes will be essential to protecting mother and child health as climate change continues to have an impact on global health.

Source: Urban Climate Journal, Curtin University
Credits: Curtin’s School of Population Health