Pregnancies can be affected by the oppressive heat

Sweltering heat can have unwanted problems and outcomes during a pregnancy. -- Rich Segal

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Our weather department's commitment during severe weather events is to keep you both informed and safe. This current heatwave would be classified as a severe weather situation given the oppressive heat that has affected all of us.

Previous writings have focused on how heat affects humans as well as its impact on cats and dogs. Today we take its effect on humans a step further. How is the heat affecting those who are pregnant?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that pregnant women stand to suffer the effects of heat exhaustion and/or heat stress sooner than non-pregnant women. It's not that difficult to understand why. The pregnancy forces their bodies to work harder to cool down, not only for the pregnant woman but also for the baby.

The CDC goes a step further in its analysis by offering that pregnant women dehydrate faster so that they won't have that natural cooling that comes from sweating. The torrid heat and perhaps a lack of significant cooling can create increasing risks of preterm birth, and, worse, stillbirth.

Those who are unfamiliar with stillbirth should know that it happens when a baby dies in the womb after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The March of Dimes reports that this happens in one in 160 pregnancies each year in our country.

In addition to their bodies working harder to cool off and also the dehydration/less sweat factor, there is also a better chance of an increase in blood pressure. To that end, a condition known as pre-eclampsia could develop. This condition manifests itself after the twentieth week of the pregnancy in women whose blood pressure had been normal. It's scary because its onset could lead to fatal consequences. Fortunately, it is manageable but it does require the mother/family to consider an early delivery.

We mentioned earlier that preterm birth and stillbirth are two possible outcomes. The study also suggested other possible effects that include low birth weight. Physical abnormalities could also be a potential outcome.

A study at the University of California, Merced determined there is a higher risk (16%) of preterm birth during a heatwave. The stillbirth risk during heat waves versus non-heat waves is 46% higher. Statistics from the CDC show one in ten infants in this country is born before term while, as aforementioned, one in 160 births are stillbirths, both staggering numbers.

What's more is the risks of these two results, preterm and stillbirth, increase by 5% with just a one-degree temperature increase.

The heat exposure's effects on the fetus is also negatively impacted due to a decrease in blood and nutrient flow, both essential to it remaining healthy in the womb.

It's not just the heat that adversely affects pregnancies. Ozone being more common on hot days leads to decreased air quality causing that same increase in blood pressure.

The solutions may be as easy as drinking more water, being less strenuous when outdoors, etc ... Health care providers can do their part by engaging with their patients on what to do and what not to do.

This is particularly true for those who get pregnant for the first time. They may not think to ask about how to take care of themselves and their fetus when the weather gets as hot as it can get. To that end, it's also true that extreme cold could have the same effects on a body working harder to keep warm.

Finally, there is no way of knowing when the risks are greatest when the heat takes it greatest toll on the pregnancy. This translates to risks from the heat being difficult to control leading to increased uncertainties.

Climate change is causing the heat to be hotter and last longer. It is why we suggest when discussing our heat safety tips to always check on those who may not have adequate cooling when summer's heat is as persistent as the one we are experiencing now. It's another reason why we stress the need to seek proper medical attention, pregnant or not, when experiencing any heat-related illness.

Fortunately, this latest outbreak of extreme heat will go away soon.