The study from the Boston University School of Public Health, published in the journal Epidemiology, looked at seasonal differences in pregnancy data from more than 6,100 study participants. They found that in North America, pregnant women had a 44 percent higher risk of miscarriage in the summer than in the winter – especially in August compared to February. An early miscarriage for the purposes of this study was defined as occurring in the first eight weeks of pregnancy. According to researchers, up to 30 percent of pregnancies can lead to miscarriage and up to half of all miscarriages are unexplained. The risk of miscarriage at any point in the pregnancy was 31 percent higher in August than in February. The researchers also looked at geographic data and found that pregnant women living in the southern or midwestern United States, some of the hottest parts of the country, were more likely to have a miscarriage in late August and early September. “Every time you see seasonal fluctuations in an outcome, it can give you clues as to the causes of that outcome,” said study lead author Dr. Amelia Wesselink in a press release. “. Now we need to look more closely to understand which types of reports are more prevalent in the summer and which of these reports could explain the increased risk of miscarriage.” The researchers said that this study filled gaps in previous research, which tends to focus on data from pregnancy losses that occur in a hospital setting, which may exclude data from people who lost pregnancies too early at home or those who did not. persistent fertility issues that cause miscarriage and therefore may not have sought care from a medical professional. The study authors suggest that high temperatures may be a contributing factor to pregnancy loss, adding that while more research is needed to understand the potential relationship, health professionals and policymakers can take action now to to mitigate the effects of temperature rise on pregnant People. “We know that heat is associated with a higher risk of other pregnancy outcomes, such as premature birth, low birth weight and stillbirth, in particular,” said Wesselink. “Medical guidance and public health messages – including heat action plans and climate adaptation policies – must take into account the potential effects of heat on the health of pregnant women and their babies.”
