There is not much research on the relationship between environmental thermal conditions and pregnancy, but a recent study by scientists from the Center for Epidemiological and Environmental Research of Barcelona (CREAL) ensures that high temperatures can shorten pregnancy.
They claim that high temperatures can cause a decrease in the duration of pregnancies, to the point that a day of excessive heat may be enough to advance the delivery in one day. The equation would be: a day of excessive heat before delivery, one day less gestation. No wonder, since pregnant women are especially vulnerable to heat.
To know the short-term impact of maternal exposure to extreme temperatures during pregnancy, more than 7,500 births were analyzed between 2001-2005 in Barcelona, Spain.
During pregnancy, fat deposition and internal heat production increase due to fetal growth and metabolism, experts say.
It is not the first time that high temperatures have been related to an early delivery. Previous studies have linked extreme heat conditions to the induction of uterine contractions, as well as an increase in the secretion of oxytocin and prostaglandins, birth-related hormones, and the increase of a thermal shock protein related to premature delivery. .
Even so, more studies are needed in different contexts to be able to state that high temperatures shorten in pregnancy, but it is interesting to know that extreme temperatures can have effects on the duration of the birth, being able to reach a decrease of up to five days in pregnancy, and therefore influence in some way on the health of the baby.
