A new study reveals that women are more likely to experience a miscarriage during the dog days of summer, and the searing heat in many parts of the United States may be to blame.
A research team led by Boston University discovered that American women are 44 percent more likely to experience a miscarriage in late August than in late February, a significant change over the course of six months.
While the specific cause of this gap has yet to be discovered, experts hypothesize that it is likely linked to the excessive heat, as states with more severe summer weather were the most affected by this trend.
They also report that several other potential birth complications, such as stillbirths and low birth weight, are more prevalent during the summer.
Researchers who published their findings in the journal Epidemiology collected data from the National Institutes of Health-funded SPH-based Pregnancy Study Online.
The poll follows women who are actively attempting to conceive during their pregnancy and for the first six months after the birth of their child.
This study includes data from 6,104 people who conceived a child within a year of enrolling.
Researchers collected data on probable adverse delivery outcomes, such as miscarriage, during the entire year.
After controlling for external factors that could influence miscarriage rates, such as maternal risk factors, race, and socioeconomic position, they discovered that miscarriage rates increased throughout the summer.
The highest difference was found between the months of August and February, which are, respectively, the harshest winter and summer months in several regions of the United States.
In August, the overall chance of miscarriage was 31 percent higher than it was in February.
Researchers discovered a 44 percent difference when comparing the final week of both months.
Dr. Amelia Wesselink, a professor of epidemiology at Boston and co-author of the study, said in a release, “Whenever you observe seasonal variation in an outcome, it can give you insights about the causes of that event.”
While researchers were unable to pinpoint the mechanism responsible for the increase in miscarriages during particular seasons, hear is the leading suspicion.
The discrepancy in miscarriages was greatest in the South and Midwest, states with the hottest summers on average, providing more evidence that temperature is the primary cause.
“We observed that the chance of miscarriage, specifically the risk of an “early” loss before eight weeks of gestation, was higher in the summer,” said Wesselink, stressing that additional research was required.
Now, additional research is required to determine what types of exposures are more widespread in the summer and which of these exposures may explain the higher risk of miscarriage.
Extreme heat resulting in negative birth outcomes for mothers would not be an improbable occurrence. Researchers add that some problems have already been related to warmer temperatures.
“We know that heat is related to an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth in particular,” says Wesselink.
Medical recommendations and public health messaging, such as heat action plans and climate adaptation programs, must include the possible consequences of heat on the health of pregnant women and their infants.
University of Michigan experts have previously remarked that a pregnant woman’s body must exert greater effort because it is accountable for two organisms.
As a woman’s body undertakes more effort, she is more prone to become dehydrated, and the wear and tear that hot weather can have on her and the unborn child can have significant negative implications.
