“Premature babies on the rise” –

As another heat wave hits Italy, experts from the European Society of Reproductive Medicine and Embryology (ESHRE) warn of the effects of extreme heat on pregnant women, the fetus and birth rates. Prenatal exposure to excessive temperatures is “associated with increased risks of preterm birth, low birth weight and stillbirth”. Heat waves, now increasingly frequent, are linked to an increase in the rate of premature births, also according to a recent American study that analyzed 53 million births in the 50 most populous metropolitan areas of the United States from 1993 to 2017. Women – continues ESHRE – are more likely to suffer from hypertension, worse pregnancy outcomes and longer hospital stays.

Not only that. Fetal exposure to excessive heat might cause long-term negative effects. Finally, birth rates show a significant association with extreme temperatures. “It is time to act,” say the experts, gathered at a conference in Amsterdam, urging to “address the effects of climate change on reproductive health: prioritize research on the impacts of air pollution and heat exposure on fertility and pregnancy to guide the development of protective measures; promote rapid, ethical and sustainable actions to reduce CO2 emissions and air pollution with the aim of achieving net zero CO2 emissions within the next 20 years; implement ambitious policies and economic investments to achieve substantial reductions in CO2 emissions, improve air quality and stabilize the increase in global temperatures within 1.5 degrees C”.