Extreme temperatures can double the risk of stillbirth, study shows
According to harrowing new research from India, working in exceptionally high temperatures can double the risk of stillbirth and miscarriage for pregnant women.
Spanning the best part of seven years, the study, which was launched in 2017 by the Faculty of Public Health at the Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (SRIHER), was comprised of 800 pregnant women who lived in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Around half of the women who took part worked in jobs where they were exposed to high temperatures, such as agriculture, brick kilns and salt flats. The other half worked in much cooler environments including in schools and hospitals; however it was noted that some workers also experienced high temperatures in these roles.
Professor Jane Hirst, one of the scientists who contributed to this study, claimed that although there is no threshold for what level of heat is considered to be too hot for the human body, it is ‘relative to what you’re used to and what your body’s used to.’
The findings from this study are not confirmation that working in such high temperatures can lead to high-risk pregnancies, although Sumathy’s story implies that they can have an impact.
Sumathy, who was one of the first recruits for the research, works both on a cucumber farm and as a cook in a school where she is paid about 200 rupees or just under £2 for her efforts. She notes that some days, before she even begins picking the cucumbers, temperatures can reach 30 degrees and feel even warmer as a result of the humidity.
One day, whilst Sumathy was dropping off her husband’s lunch, she began feeling unwell and after visiting the doctor the same evening, she was regrettably informed that she had suffered a miscarriage 12 weeks into her pregnancy.
Although the poor woman will never know if it was working in extreme heat that caused her to lose the baby, the study found that women who worked in similar conditions were twice as likely to suffer a stillbirth or miscarriage.
Despite this study, which can be found in full here, being a difficult read, Professor Hirst has claimed that it is knowledge everybody needs to be aware of. Especially as heatwaves are on the rise for countries that never used to experience a typically hot summer.
Professor Hirst said: ‘The UK is getting hotter summers, and while it’s not as hot as India, these adverse effects can be seen at much lower temperatures in more temperate climates, such as the UK.’
As it stands, there is no international guidance available for pregnant women working in the heat, although Professor Hirst has said that she hopes this study, and other similar research, will change that.
In the meantime, Professor Vidhya Venugopal, who led the research on India, said pregnant women working in the heat can protect themselves by:
- Taking regular shade breaks
- Avoiding exercise or sunbathing for long periods when it is particularly warm
- Always drinking lots of water
- Avoiding prolonged periods in the heat
Images: Emily Whitehouse and Neal E. Johnson
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