‘India saw six more days of dangerous heat for pregnant women each year in 2020-24 period’

New Delhi: India recorded an average of six additional days of dangerously high temperatures for pregnant women each year over the last five years, according to a new study published on Monday.

The study by Climate Central, an independent group of scientists and communicators based in the US, said the number of such days had doubled in 90 percent of countries and territories.

As part of the study, researchers analysed daily temperatures from 2020 to 2024 in 247 countries and territories, and 940 cities, to determine the rise in “pregnancy heat-risk days” -- extremely hot days associated with higher risks of preterm birth and maternal health complications.

India experienced an average of six additional pregnancy heat-risk days each year during this period, the researchers said.

Climate change accounted for nearly a third of the average annual number of pregnancy heat-risk days in India during 2020-2024, adding six out of a total of 19 days, the researchers said in the study.

Sikkim reported the highest number of pregnancy heat-risk days attributed to climate change, with 32. Goa and Kerala recorded 24 and 18 additional days, respectively.

Among the cities analysed, Panaji experienced the highest average number of additional pregnancy heat-risk days each year (39) over the past five years.

Thiruvananthapuram followed with 36 such days.

Mumbai reported 26 additional pregnancy heat-risk days attributed to climate change during 2020-2024.

Chennai, Bengaluru and Pune also recorded seven additional pregnancy heat-risk days attributed to climate change over the past five years.

According to the study, nearly a third of countries experienced an additional month’s worth of dangerous pregnancy heat-risk days each year.

The largest increases were observed in regions with limited access to health care, including the Caribbean, central and South America, the Pacific Islands, southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Research links high temperatures during pregnancy to increased risks of complications such as hypertension, gestational diabetes, hospitalisation, severe maternal morbidity, stillbirth and pre-term birth, which can lead to lifelong health impacts for children.

“Extreme heat is now one of the most pressing threats to pregnant people worldwide, pushing more pregnancies into high-risk territory, especially in places already struggling with limited healthcare access. Cutting fossil fuel emissions is not just good for the planet, it’s a crucial step toward protecting pregnant people and newborns around the world,” said Bruce Bekkar, a women’s health physician and authority on climate change’s dangers to human health.

“Even a single day of extreme heat can raise the risk of serious pregnancy complications,” said Kristina Dahl, vice-president for science at Climate Central.

Climate change is increasing extreme heat and stacking the odds against healthy pregnancies worldwide, especially in places where care is already hard to access. The impacts on maternal and infant health are likely to worsen if we do not stop burning fossil fuels and urgently tackle climate change, she said.