Abstract
OBJECTIVES: This study examined the association between gestation length and heat exposure during the summer months of the Chicago heat wave of 1995. METHODS: Birth data from Illinois vital records containing 11,792 singleton vaginal births were analyzed to calculate mean gestational ages. RESULTS: No evidence was found to suggest an association between shortened gestation and increased maximum apparent temperature. CONCLUSIONS: The data propose no special precautions for pregnant women exposed to short-term heat stress of the intensity evaluated in this study. However, the possible effects of chronic heat exposure on gestation cannot be ruled out.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Dreiling C. E., Carman F. S., 3rd, Brown D. E. Maternal endocrine and fetal metabolic responses to heat stress. J Dairy Sci. 1991 Jan;74(1):312–327. doi: 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(91)78175-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lajinian S., Hudson S., Applewhite L., Feldman J., Minkoff H. L. An association between the heat-humidity index and preterm labor and delivery: a preliminary analysis. Am J Public Health. 1997 Jul;87(7):1205–1207. doi: 10.2105/ajph.87.7.1205. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Noller K. L., Resseguie L. J., Voss V. The effect of changes in atmospheric pressure on the occurrence of the spontaneous onset of labor in term pregnancies. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1996 Apr;174(4):1192–1199. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9378(96)70661-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Semenza J. C., Rubin C. H., Falter K. H., Selanikio J. D., Flanders W. D., Howe H. L., Wilhelm J. L. Heat-related deaths during the July 1995 heat wave in Chicago. N Engl J Med. 1996 Jul 11;335(2):84–90. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199607113350203. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Vähä-Eskeli K., Erkkola R. The effect of short-term heat stress on uterine contractility, fetal heart rate and fetal movements at late pregnancy. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 1991 Jan 4;38(1):9–14. doi: 10.1016/0028-2243(91)90200-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Whitman S., Good G., Donoghue E. R., Benbow N., Shou W., Mou S. Mortality in Chicago attributed to the July 1995 heat wave. Am J Public Health. 1997 Sep;87(9):1515–1518. doi: 10.2105/ajph.87.9.1515. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]