Heat waves may lead to poor pregnancy outcomes, a review of studies has found. Heat waves — generally meaning a period of two days or more of abnormally high temperatures — were associated with a 16 percent increased likelihood of preterm birth and a 46 percent increased risk for stillbirth. The effects of high temperature were strongest in the last month of pregnancy. The evidence was strongest and most consistent for the ill effects of heat waves, but several studies found that large fluctuations in daytime temperature or high temperatures at night were also associated with preterm birth. “High temperature is dangerous for health over all,” said the lead author, Matthew Francis Chersich of the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

Source: New York Times November 16, 2020 09:56 UTC