The fetuses of women working in the fields in extreme heat can show signs of strain before their mothers are affected, new research has shown.
The fetuses of women working in the fields in extreme heat can show signs of strain before their mothers are affected, new research has shown.
The study, which involved 92 pregnant subsistence farmers in The Gambia, is the first to measure the impacts of heat stress on the foetuses of manual workers.
Findings include that for every degree Celsius increase in heat stress exposure there was a 17% increase in fetal strain as indicated by raised fetal heart rate and slower blood flow through the umbilical cord.
Overall, the team led by researchers at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and LSHTM found that even a modest rise in body temperature from performing manual tasks in extreme heat produced evidence of physiological strain in both mother and fetus.
Read more at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Image: Thermal imaging camera used to measure temperature of pregnant farmer and her unborn baby, The Gambia (Photo: Louis Leeson/LSHTM)
