How Extreme Heat Is Impacting People’s Ability to Have Healthy Pregnancies

(Simmone Shah/ TIME Magazine) — As the number of extreme heat days continues to rise due to climate change, the high temperatures are taking a toll on our health—extreme heat has been linked to a range of health issues, including heatstroke, dehydration, and respiratory problems. But some people are at greater risk than others: warmer days are putting pregnant people at a higher risk for health complications. 

One Climate Central analysis published on May 14 found that extreme heat caused by climate change is posing dangerous risks for maternal health and birth outcomes. Between 2020 to 2024, the average number of pregnancy heat-risk days—defined as days in which maximum temperatures are warmer than 95% of temperatures observed in a given location—doubled in 222 countries.

The greatest increase in heat-risk days occurred primarily in developing areas with limited access to health care, including the Caribbean, parts of Central and South America, and sub-Saharan Africa. 

“Pregnant women and their fetuses are more vulnerable to climate-related changes, especially around heat and extreme heat,” says Shruthi Mahalingaiah, associate professor of environmental, reproductive, and women’s health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (…)