Climate change increases the risk of preterm birth in pregnant women, putting newborns' health at risk, a study reveals.
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousLa pregnancy it is a particularly delicate period for women who, during the 9 months, must pay attention to a whole series of small things, from nutrition to health, to ensure the well-being of the baby on the way. Because pregnant, you know, even a simple flu must be kept in sight.
And now, to complicate the situation, we get exposure to the high temperatures due to climate changes which, according to a study published in Nature Climate Change, increases the risk of give birth early with respect to deadlines, to the disadvantage of the unborn, who are more exposed in this case to problems of various kinds.
The study looked at 56 million births in the US from 1969 to 1988, and found that around 25.000 babies a year were born early due to unpredictably hot weather. In fact, in the periods in which the temperatures touched 32,2 ° C or more, the number of new borns increased, shortening the pregnancy up to 2 weeks.
A time that may seem short and therefore superfluous, but which according to scholars affects children by increasing the chances of developing respiratory problems, high blood pressure and neurological conditions.
Why does this happen? Because heat, according to scholars, probably increases levels of oxytocin in the body, hormone released during labor and delivery, and causes cardiovascular stress o sleep loss in pregnant women, triggering early labor.
According to one of the authors, Alan Barreca, an easy way to solve the problem could be to use air conditioning, however it is not available everywhere because many people around the world do not have access to it. Not to mention that it contributes to emissions, creating another problem that in turn spills over to the climate, in an endless vicious circle.
Given that the global warming situation is not improving, according to this study, early births in the coming years could increase, estimating an annual average of 42.000 children. And according to the same authors by the end of the century, in the USA, one child in a hundred will be born preterm.
Yet another reason to intervene and change course as soon as possible!
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