In the Wake of climate change, there could be future problems in pregnancy. An American analysis has shown that heat can apparently have an impact on the length of the pregnancy.
Previous studies have already demonstrated a connection between heat and shorter pregnancies, the scientists write in the journal “Nature Climate Change”. However, the effect was not precisely estimated. The new analysis provides exact Figures.
The Team of Alan Barreca of the University of California, Los Angeles, and Jessamyn Schaller of Claremont McKenna College analyzed for their current analysis, approximately 56 million births in the period 1969 to 1988. Hot days pregnancies shorten by an average of six days.
“The health of infants is varied influences, but an earlier delivery is an important measurement, the detection depends strongly with the health of newborns, and the mental outcomes in later childhood together,” says the study.
As expected, the scientists?
The base value for the calculation of the researchers, the daily birth rate was. They compared the number of births in a day with a maximum temperature of more than 32,2 degrees with the same calendar day in different years. Point of reference days with a maximum temperature of 15.6 to 21.1 degrees. In comparison, the birth rate rose on a hot day, and on the following day to put together was 1.63 per 100,000 births. Only 15 days after the hot day had returned to normal, the birth rate again.
In a year, about 30 hot days during the investigation period, the shortening of the pregnancy was around 25,000 births. This meant days of a loss of more than 150,000 Pregnancy. Using 22 climate models, the researchers calculated that climate change in the period of 2080 to 2099 more than 250,000 lost pregnancy days because of the hotter days could come. However, they showed in respect of the period from 1969 to 1988, that air conditioning systems can reduce the effect by three-quarters.
Don’t Panic
Christian Albring, President of the professional Association of women doctors, not on the assumption that the duration of the pregnancy is shortened by climate change in General. The people were able to adapt to permanently higher temperatures, said the woman doctor. The influence of heat on the end of the pregnancy was already known for a long time: “you have exceeded the calculated birth date, some Pregnant women, the hot bath, to accelerate the Labor and birth occurs.”
Michael Abou-Dakn of the German society for gynecology and obstetrics (DGGG), Berlin, the results of the extensive study are not surprising. The chief doctor of the clinic for gynaecology at Berlin’s St. Joseph hospital stressed that heat is harmful to the Pregnant very. Nevertheless, he expected that the climate change affected pregnancies lasting impact: “The human being is very adaptable.”
