A new report from Climate Central reveals that rising extreme heat due to climate change is making pregnancy riskier for millions of women around the world.
The nonprofit group analyzed temperature data from 2020 to 2024 in 940 cities across 247 countries and territories, focusing on “pregnancy heat-risk days.”
These are days when temperatures exceed what is normal 95% of the time in a location and are linked to higher chances of preterm births and other pregnancy complications.
The study found that nearly one-third of the countries experienced at least one extra month of these dangerous heat days each year, with many seeing the number of pregnancy heat-risk days double. This rise is strongly connected to climate change.
“Even a single day of extreme heat can raise the risk of serious pregnancy complications,” said Kristina Dahl, Climate Central’s vice president of science. She added that this problem is worse in places where healthcare is already hard to access.
Extreme heat has been linked to high blood pressure, diabetes, hospital stays, premature births, and even death during pregnancy, according to health organizations like the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the United States, the number of pregnancy heat-risk days has increased by an average of 12 days per year. West Palm Beach, Florida, saw the largest jump, with a 48% increase from 2020 to 2024. Utah had the biggest state increase, adding 23 days, a 72% rise.
The report also highlights that all pregnancy heat-risk days in Hawaii are due to climate change, meaning pregnant women there would not face these risks without the warming planet.
Dr. Bruce Bekkar, a women’s health expert, emphasized that cutting fossil fuel emissions is vital not only for the planet but also to protect pregnant women and newborns worldwide.
Other U.S. cities with high increases include Miami, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Odessa (Texas), and Salt Lake City (Utah). States most affected after Utah are Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Hawaii.
While the analysis has not yet been peer-reviewed and does not specify different pregnancy complications, it clearly shows that climate change is pushing more pregnancies into risky territory, especially in vulnerable regions.
This growing threat underscores the urgent need to address climate change to protect maternal health globally.
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