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Climate Change and Pregnancy Outcomes: A Systematic Approach to Reviewing the Data
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Climate Change and Pregnancy Outcomes: A Systematic Approach to Reviewing the Data

Caroline B Braun, Sonja A Rasmussen and Denise J Jamieson
Birth defects research, Vol.117(6), e2493
06/2025
DOI: 10.1002/bdr2.2493
PMID: 40521784

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Abstract

Increasing evidence is accumulating regarding the effects of climate change on human health. In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified six exposure pathways through which climate change might affect health: extreme weather events; heat stress; air quality; food safety and security; water quality and quantity; and vector distribution and ecology. We sought to evaluate the climate change-related effects through these pathways on the health of pregnant persons and neonates. Individual PubMed searches were tailored for each WHO climate change exposure pathway based on the quality and quantity of evidence. Searches for heat stress, air quality, food safety and security, and vector distribution and ecology included systematic reviews only, while those for the remaining exposure pathways included broader quantitative study parameters. Evidence links heat stress, air quality, and vector distribution and ecology to several adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. While evidence regarding extreme weather events, food safety and security, and water quality and quantity also shows harmful effects on pregnant persons and neonates, the data are less conclusive. Climate change-related effects detrimentally affect the health of pregnant persons and neonates, but additional research is required to improve understanding of how climate change exerts its effects on these populations.
 Climate Change Pregnancy Female Humans Infant, Newborn Pregnancy Outcome - epidemiology

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