The hot weather would not only have harmful effects on the health of seniors, but also on that of pregnant women. According to one study conducted by researchers at the University of Montreal, Canada, when temperatures reach 32 ° C or more, over a period of four to seven days before childbirth, “the risk of giving birth early is 27% higher. only when it is 20 ° C. “
“The stress caused by heat would increase uterine contractility at a time of pregnancy when thermoregulation appears to be less effective. It is also believed that dehydration reduces the blood supply to the uterus, which would increase the excretion of pituitary hormones, responsible for work “, explains Nathalie Auger, researcher attached to the Center hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal and main author of study. With her colleagues, she analyzed the individual data of the 300,000 births that occurred in Montreal from 1981 to 2010 and the temperatures recorded by Environment Canada during the same period. The results were published by the journal Epidemiology.
While the researcher found that a very slight increase in the rate of preterm births between days less than 20 ° and days above 28 °, exposure to very high room temperatures may reduce the length of gestation for pregnancies. which come to an end during the summer. And the effects of an early birth on the unborn baby are not negligible: “Studies show that children born at 37 or 38 weeks suffer more from respiratory problems, compared to children born at term. also more at risk of death, ”she concludes.
