Maternal Heat Stress Pregnancy: Heat waves are increasing worldwide. Now, a new revelation has emerged that they also affect pregnancy. Let us tell you how?

Effects of excessive heat during pregnancy

How Heat During Pregnancy Affects Baby Gender: Extreme heat during pregnancy can affect not only the mother's health but also the sex ratio of the children born. A recent study found that when pregnant women are exposed to high temperatures during pregnancy, the chances of having boys may be lower. This research was based on data from the Demographic and Health Survey of India and sub-Saharan Africa.

What did the research reveal?

In the study "Temperature and Sex Ratios at Birth," published in the journal Demography, researchers analyzed data from nearly 5 million births from more than 90 surveys. This study examined the impact of local temperatures and heat on various stages of pregnancy. According to the study, boys were born less frequently on days when the maximum temperature exceeded 20 degrees Celsius. In sub-Saharan Africa, this effect was more pronounced during the first trimester of pregnancy, while in India, the likelihood of boys being born decreased during the second trimester due to increased temperatures. This effect was particularly pronounced among older women living in rural areas.

When does the birth of boys decrease?

The study also found that when temperatures range between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius, the likelihood of having a boy can decrease by approximately 0.014 percentage points. Researchers believe that some natural miscarriages during pregnancy may be more likely to result in boys due to excessive heat. Dr. Vidya Venugopal, a public health expert at the Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research in Chennai, says these results are not surprising. She says that when the body temperature rises even one or two degrees above normal, it becomes a fever-like condition. Pregnant women's bodies are already more sensitive, so excessive heat can lead to a variety of health problems.

These things can increase the risk.

According to experts, extreme heat can increase the risk of high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, premature delivery, and low birth weight babies during pregnancy. Therefore, researchers have urged that concrete steps be taken to protect pregnant women in areas affected by heat waves.