UC Merced review shows heat increases pregnancy complications

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- The summer heat can impact some people more than others.

In the Central Valley, triple-digit temperatures aren't a huge surprise.

Some get acclimated to the heat, but according to Dr. Sandie Ha, it doesn't make it less dangerous.

"Our human body is 97-98 degrees, right? Anything above that is at a range where it's creating stress for the human body," she said.

Ha is an assistant professor at UC Merced, and she teaches public health and epidemiology. Her research focuses on understanding environmental risk factors for perinatal health.

Ha took a look at 70 studies, and in her recent review, she found preterm births increase by 16% during a heatwave. She also found that the risk for a stillbirth is 46% higher in dangerous heat.

"We know pregnant people are very vulnerable to environmental threat because of the physiologic changes that they're going through just because of pregnancy itself," she said.

The heat causes inflammation, decreasing blood and nutrient flow to the fetus.

Ha's review also states that the risk for preterm or stillbirth increases by 5% with just a one-degree temperature increase.

"I think it's a range where we need to be concerned about and take action," said Ha.

While it can be a challenge to avoid the outdoor heat in the Valley, Ha encourages pregnant people to stay indoors, hydrate and avoid strenuous activity.

Overall, Ha hopes the environmental threat of heat gets addressed.

"Trying to address it from the root," Ha said. "Hopefully, we can do something to reverse this. Every year it gets worse."

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