New Research on Extreme Heat Harm During Pregnancy

(Washington, DC) – Extreme heat exposure affects pregnancy and newborn health where higher temperatures are associated with increased rates of preterm birth and stillbirth as well as greater rates of hypertension in pregnant women, said Human Rights Watch today. Emerging research suggests care work, such as mothering newborns, is also negatively affected.  “In Sierra Leone we already have high rates of preterm birth, stillbirth, and hypertension in pregnancy, all of which are worsened by extreme heat, which is increasingly a problem in our country,” said Dr. Fatu Forna, an obstetrician-gynecologist…

© Human Rights Watch - mardi 27 mai 2025