How Climate Change Affects Your Pregnancy Journey
Climate change refers to the change of temperature and witnessing abnormal weather patterns, not in sync to their normal course for a long period.
It leads to the rise in the frequency of heat waves, droughts, and poor air quality directly affecting human health and survival due to the endless burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and pollution by human activities.
This development at the cost of the environment affects pregnant women, adults, newborns, and children the most.
The year 2023 was recorded as the warmest on record, according to the 2023 Global Climate Report.
The impact of climate change on pregnancy
Human life development is balanced and dependent upon both the external as well as the internal environment.
A normal external climate facilitates a healthy growing fetus, while a slight climate change can disrupt the normal functioning of the body, thus affecting the fetal development process.
During pregnancy, a female body undergoes a lot of physical and hormonal changes to cope with the body’s realization of something growing inside her.
This change in the body is triggered by regular self-body temperature regulation and altering other metabolic functioning to prepare a habitable environment for the growing fetus.
Climate change in the external environment hampers this balance, causing a difficulty for pregnant women to cope with this change both inside and outside her at the same time.
This inability to establish balance increases the risk of various other pregnancy complications, threatening the lives of both the mothers and the babies’.
Therefore, it is mandatory to understand the climate change effects on pregnancy in order to save future generations.
The Link between Climate Change and Pregnancy
The impact of climate change on pregnancy is unmeasurable in terms of high probability of pregnancy complications.
Their constant adjusting bodies make them more vulnerable to climate change compared to others.
Some important climate change effects on pregnancy include preterm delivery, low birth weight, stillbirth, and even mortality.
According to a study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), extreme heat conditions enhance the risk of premature delivery by 5% to 16%, and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), almost 7 million premature deaths happen due to rising pollution annually.
Thus, the climate impact on pregnancy is more intense than one estimates, as it causes various biological, mental, and behavioral alterations during that period.
Let us now get a comprehensive understanding of how does climate change affects pregnancy by addressing various factors associated with it one by one.
7 Direct Effects of Climate Change on Pregnancy
Pregnancy is directly impacted by changes in temperature, air quality, and sudden weather changes, leading to its complications if not addressed in time.
Some of the direct climate change effects on pregnancy include:
A. Heat Stress
The long span of high temperature and humidity for several days or weeks is known as a heat wave. Extremity of heat waves causes heat stress.
Heat stress fails the body's ability for self-temperature regulation due to high humidity in the environment.
Some consequences of heat stress on pregnancy include:
1. Increased risk of preterm birth
High temperature causes heat stress in pregnant women, leading to multiple issues like hormonal shifts, and chronic inflammation.
All this, sometimes combined with dehydration and release of stress hormones leads to contractions and premature delivery.
2. Potential for low birth weight
Nutritional deficiency is triggered in pregnant women during high temperatures due to the loss of appetite.
This lack of nutrition causes limited oxygen and blood supply to the fetus, hampering its proper growth and development.
In addition, since the body's primary response to the heat stress is body temperature regulation, therefore, the energy meant to be dissipated towards the fetus is expended in maintaining the body temperature.
All these factors are responsible for low birth weight in infants.
3. Impact on maternal health
Heat stress during pregnancy has more detrimental effects on maternal health compared to others due to their internal body systems working for two.
Female bodies’ constant need for thermoregulation and the heightened progesterone effects, combined with limited physical activity due to an increase in body fat, lead to emotional, mental, and physical distress during pregnancy.
Remedies to beat the heat stress:
- Wear loose, breathable fabric to keep yourself cool through sweating.
- Consume fruits like cucumber, watermelon, citrus fruits, curd, coconut water etc. to keep you cool and hydrated.
- Bathe with lukewarm water to calm down the muscles and for mental relaxation by adding salts or essential oils.
- Practice mindful breathing, light indoor exercises, and aromatherapy using peppermint and eucalyptus to enhance the fitness and the cooling effect.
Also Read: 15 Safe Cardio Exercises for Pregnant Women
B. Air Pollution
The presence of toxic greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere causes air pollution. This leads to the increase in ground-level ozone because of industrialization, vehicular pollution, and deforestation.
The impact of climate change on pregnancy leads to various pregnancy complications and developmental issues like:
4. Respiratory issues for mother and fetus
When a pregnant woman inhales polluted air, it mixes with her bloodstream, leading to many respiratory issues, chronic inflammation, restricted oxygen flow in the body, and hormonal imbalance.
This results in increased risk of airway irritation and risk of asthma and allergies in the mother.
Due to this oxidative stress, it might cause impaired lung development, congenital abnormalities, preterm birth, and low birth weight in babies.
5. Pregnancy complications
Poor air quality causes respiratory issues. These issues are very detrimental during pregnancy as they cut the oxygen supply and blood flow to designated essential organs, like the womb.
This might hinder the healthy growth and development of the fetus, also leading to many long-term consequences.
The Bhopal Gas tragedy incident of 1984, which led to the leak of a highly toxic gas, methyl isocyanate is one of the best examples of the long term effects of air pollution.
Remedies to beat air pollution:
- Always measure the current AQI before stepping outdoors or wear an N95 mask during your little excursions.
- Make a clean and green space around your home to get fresh air.
- Ensure to remain in a well-ventilated space and use air purifiers when required.
- Avoid using products containing irritating chemicals with a risk of respiratory issues
C. Extreme Weather Events
We have seen that the climate change effects cause serious repercussions like heat stress and respiratory issues during pregnancy.
However, does the weather too affect pregnancy?
Well, not the weather, but extreme weather changes like hurricanes, droughts, flooding, wildfires, etc. might lead to:
6. Stress and trauma during pregnancy
Pregnancy time reels with mood swings, nausea, and morning sickness.
Extreme weather conditions just enhance them during pregnancy, causing severe emotional and mental distress.
Natural disasters are accompanied by tons of other issues like lack of essential nutrition, a positive mindset, and cutting out on the supply chain, followed by loads of anxiety and fear considering the baby’s well-being. Sometimes it might also lead to Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
In addition, the stress hormone cortisol released during stress, triggers higher chances of abortion or preterm delivery, causing a risk of life to both the mother and the baby.
Also Read: How to Deal with Diverse Mood Swings During Pregnancy?
7. Access to healthcare during disasters
Extreme weather conditions might cut out on essential services like accessibility to primary healthcare centers, medication, transportation services, and nutritional requirements, which might also result in severe pregnancy complications.
Remedies to beat extreme weather events:
- Practice yoga, meditation, or light indoor activities for stress management.
- If you are staying in challenging areas like mountains or beaches, ensure adequate buffer food and medicine supply and shortest connectivity to the nearest healthcare facility.
- Maintain a healthy balanced diet.
- Always keep a bag of essentials ready for disaster preparedness. Also, keep monitoring the weather forecast regularly.
6 Indirect Effects of Climate Change on Pregnancy
The climate change effects on pregnancy are also indirect, ranging from food insecurity and vector-borne diseases to water-borne diseases and water scarcity, leading to various other health issues.
Let us understand these consequences in detail.
A. Food Insecurity
One of the most important factors affected by climate change is food security due to the rising pollution and extreme weather conditions.
Climate change hinders the normal growth cycle of the crops, thus hampering the supply chain and nutritional fulfillment during pregnancy.
Some of the consequences following this are:
1. Nutritional deficiencies
Climate change has led to the increase in the microplastics in the environment with their presence from food to water and even in the air we breathe.
When a pregnant woman consumes this contaminated food or water or air, she is exposed to her inability to absorb essential nutrients from the food she consumes.
Microplastics also consist of toxic chemicals, including heavy metals, whose consumption have long-lasting repurcussions.
This contamination in the environment enters the food chain, thus impacting a pregnant woman’s fulfillment of essential nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, folate, iron, calcium etc., which are essential for a healthy fetal development.
2. Impact on fetal development
The climate impact on pregnancy is directly linked to fetal health.
It might cause stunted fetal growth, poor brain and neurodevelopment, risk of stillbirth, abortion, low birth weight, and preterm delivery.
Remedies to beat nutritional deficiency:
- Include a diversified meal to fulfill your daily nutritional requirements.
- Intake essential nutritional supplements.
- Practice food preservation techniques like freezing for the timely availability of food.
B. Vector-Borne Diseases
These diseases are spread by pathogens via the transmission from one host to another. Example, mosquitoes, ticks, fleas etc.
3. High risk of Zika, malaria, and other infections
Mosquitoes are the most prominent that affect pregnant women. This increases their chances of being affected by zika, dengue fever, and malaria.
High temperatures and rainfall increase the breeding of mosquitoes, which, when in contact with pregnant women, carry a risk of spreading the infection to fetuses.
Once the fetus is infected, there is a high probability to cause pregnancy complications like stunted and undeveloped fetus, along with various congenital abnormalities.
Rising temperatures due to climate change can cause susceptibility to diseases in soon-to-be mothers due to decreased immunity, causing the risk of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), and various neurodevelopmental problems.
4. Consequences for fetal health
The impact of vector-borne diseases on fetal health risks the chances of preterm birth, stillbirth, low birth weight, etc., leading to PTSD.
Remedies to beat vector-borne diseases:
- Use insect and mosquito repellants.
- Wear protective clothing.
- Avoid water pooling near your surroundings.
- Ensure timely vaccination to avoid the risk of diseases.
C. Water Scarcity and Quality
The extreme weather conditions might cause disruptions of drinking water supply and quality, which is essential for human health and survival.
The climate impact on pregnancy in relation to water can be divided into two:
5. Dehydration risks
Pregnancy demands to stay hydrated for the proper functioning of the altered and ever-adjusting bodily system for nine months.
Natural disasters increase the risk of dehydration due to the inaccessibility of good drinking water.
Females face constipation and hemorrhoids issues during pregnancy which can worsen in case of dehydration as it is linked to causing extreme pregnancy complications, thus fatal to both the mother and the baby.
Also Read: Top 10 Fiber-Rich Foods to Relieve Constipation During Pregnancy
6. Exposure to waterborne illnesses
Contaminated water is borne with gastrointestinal illnesses like cholera, typhoid, hepatitis A, etc. in humans.
During pregnancy, these diseases can prove lethal due to the risk of infection spreading to the fetus.
Remedies to beat water scarcity and quality:
- Ensure to boil water before drinking.
- Always carry your own water bottle.
- Be aware of the TDS in the water you are consuming.
Conclusion
Climate change means disrupting the normal cycle of environmental functions, causing a shock wave in human lives as well as survival.
Pregnant women and adults with comorbidities are at higher risk compared to adults.
Therefore, the climate change effects on pregnancy must be monitored mindfully, along with the remedies, in order to flourish the generations of the future.