Excessive exposure to heat during pregnancy can increase the risk of death for expectant mothers.
- Pregnant women who experience repeated or prolonged heatwaves are more likely to die than others.
- This association was more observed among mothers with a lower level of education or whose pregnancies began during the cold season (November to April).
- For the period 2013-2015, 262 maternal deaths were identified for the whole of France, or one death every 4 days.
According to a new studyexcessive exposure to heat during pregnancy can increase the risk of death for expectant mothers.
Increase in maternal mortality
“Despite improvements in coverage and quality of prenatal care thanks to technological advances, the prevalence of maternal mortality continues to increase in the United States” deplore the American researchers in the preamble.
Faced with the scale of this phenomenon, they wanted to examine the associations between exposure to heat during pregnancy and the health of future mothers. To this end, they collected medical or environmental data over a period of 10 years (from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2018) and followed 403,602 pregnancies.
Extreme heat: 27% increase in risk of death for mothers
3,446 maternal deaths (0.9%) were recorded during the experiment. After analysis, high exposure to extreme heat days during the third trimester of pregnancy was associated with a 27% increase in the risk of maternal death. Greater associations were observed among mothers with a lower level of education or whose pregnancies began during the cold season (November to April).
“The magnitude of associations generally increased from exposure to the least severe heatwave to exposure to the most severe heatwave,” the researchers also write in their report. “In this study, long- and short-term heat exposure during pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of maternal mortality. These results could have important implications regarding the preservation of the health of pregnant women, particularly particularly in a changing climate”, they conclude.
Maternal mortality, a fundamental indicator in France
For the period 2013-2015, 262 maternal deaths were identified for the whole of France, or one death every 4 days. “If the overall maternal death ratio remains stable, the profile of causes is changing: mortality from obstetric hemorrhage continues to decrease but cardiovascular diseases and suicides have become the two most frequent causes” explains Santé Publique France in its latest report on the issue.
“Maternal mortality, despite its rarity in rich countries, remains a fundamental indicator of health. It is considered a “sentinel event” whose occurrence reflects dysfunctions, often cumulative, in the healthcare system”adds the health agency.
The Cnemm (National Committee of Experts on Maternal Mortality) for its part understands the notion of “maternal death” as “the death of a woman occurring during pregnancy or within one year after its termination, regardless of its duration or location, for any cause determined or aggravated by the pregnancy or the care provided it was motivated, but neither accidental nor fortuitous.
