Many pregnancies are shorter as climate change causes more 90-degree days

A UCLA study suggests that climate change is causing many women to have shorter pregnancies than they would normally, which could pose risks for infant health and child development.According to research published today in Nature Climate Change, birth rates were 5% higher on days when the temperature exceeded 90 degrees Fahrenheit. And, perhaps more concerning, births on those days occurred up to two weeks earlier — and 6.1 days earlier on average — than they would have otherwise.“That’s enough to take somebody from what’s considered to be a pretty healthy pregnancy into a ‘we are somewhat worried’ pregnancy,” said Alan Barreca, a UCLA professor of environment and human health and lead author of the study.Researchers analyzed U.S. birth and climate statistics from 1969 to 1988, relying primarily on natality information from the National Vital Statistics System and data from the Global Historical Climatology Network. They estimated about 25,000 births were affected each year. The key finding was that birth rates spiked right around the days the temperature exceeded 90 degrees. After the hot weather passed, birth rates fell.The spike-then-fall pattern in birth rates indicates that hot weather accelerates deliveries and shortens pregnancies, Barreca said.By the year 2100, the study estimates, an additional 42,000 births will be affected per year, or about one out of every 100 births.The exact link between higher temperatures and shorter pregnancies isn ’t totall...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news