Hot summer days can be dangerous for pregnant women

According to Live Science, hot weather can be uncomfortable for anyone. But for pregnant women, summer heat is especially dangerous. That's because when the body is too hot and dehydrated there is a risk of pregnancy complications.

Dr Saima Aftab, medical director of the Fetal Care Center at the Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami, said: " Dehydration can cause serious problems for pregnant women . , doctors will advise pregnant women to avoid making the body too hot in any case. "

Hyperthermia and early stage of pregnancy

According to Dr. Aftab, it is worrisome that a high fever or abnormally high body temperature in early pregnancy may increase the risk of birth defects. In particular, there is evidence that women with hyperthermia in the first 6 to 8 weeks of pregnancy are at high risk of causing children with brain or spinal cord defects (neural tube defects), such as Spina bifida.

Women may experience hyperthermia due to high fever, outside heat exposure or even soaking in a hot tub. Indeed, the Mayo Clinic advises women not to spend more than 10 minutes in a hot tub to avoid the risk of hyperthermia.

However, Aftab notes that the risk of birth defects due to hyperthermia is mainly limited to the first eight weeks of pregnancy . In other words, the spike in body temperature after the first eight weeks of pregnancy is unlikely to increase the risk of birth defects.

The risk of birth defects due to hyperthermia is mainly limited to the first eight weeks of pregnancy.

And even if a woman experiences hypothermia in the early stages of pregnancy, the risk of a child with neural tube defects remains low. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1,500 babies born with cracks live in the United States each year, about 3 shifts / 10,000 births.

Risks when the body is dehydrated

The female body undergoes many changes in pregnancy, including changes in the way the body processes fluids and controls the temperature. As a result, they can lose water more easily or have more manifestations of the million. dehydration when not pregnant.

Symptoms of dehydration may include dizziness or lightheadedness, which can be dangerous for pregnant women if these symptoms cause them to fall. According to the Mayo Clinic, mother-to-child falls at the end of the second and first trimester may harm both mother and baby, leading to complications such as amniotic fluid depletion.

In addition, dehydration causes the brain to produce a hormone called vasopressin (also known as antidiuretic hormone) , causing thirst. But this hormone is similar to oxytocin, the hormone that stimulates uterine contractions. As a result, dehydration in the third trimester may trigger continuous uterine contractions because the vasopressin mechanism works similarly to oxytocin.

According to the Southwest Texas University Medical Center, these contractions are not "real" labor, can often be treated with rehydration. But it is also possible that contractions will trigger preterm labor. Dehydration leading to labor is also dangerous, as it can cause complications such as low blood pressure and reduced blood volume.

For all of these reasons, it is important for pregnant women to maintain water. "We know that nothing good will happen if pregnant women lose water during pregnancy , " Aftab said.

It is important that pregnant women maintain water.

Some studies have found that warm weather in certain areas increases the risk of premature birth, stillbirth and low birth weight. For example, in a study published last month in the American Journal of Epidemiology, the researchers looked at whether exposure to certain temperatures in pregnancy was associated with the risk of childbirth. light weight (less than 2,500 grams). Based on data from 2 million California-born babies between 1999 and 2013, they found that every 10 temperature increases above 15.5 degrees Celsius was associated with a 16% increase in the risk of low births. scales.

However, the study found only a clear correlation, not a cause-effect relationship, and did not take into account the case of mothers having a way to reduce the temperature by using air conditioners. Thus, more research is needed to confirm the correct results.

However, this study shows that pregnant women and their fetuses are vulnerable after exposure to the surrounding environment. The study concluded that, in the heat counseling warnings, pregnant women should be considered a vulnerable group for extra prevention.

At Aftab's advice, on hot days, pregnant women should try to stand in the sun for too long and avoid direct contact with face light by staying in the shade. To maintain water, Cleveland Clinic recommends that pregnant women drink 10 to 12 glasses of water a day.