Drought during pregnancy raises preterm birth risk, study finds

A study from Barcelona's Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau), published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, finds that drought exposure during pregnancy increases the risk of preterm birth by an average of 2%, rising to 5% during severe or extreme drought phases. The research, based on nearly 30 million births in Brazil between 2001 and 2020, was coordinated with Brazil's CIDACS center Source: hoydo.

Key findings

• Prolonged drought (six to nine months) also raises the likelihood of the baby being born small for gestational age by 1–2% Source: diariolibree.
• The combination of drought and extreme heat multiplies risks due to dehydration, thermal stress, poorer maternal nutrition, and reduced access to prenatal care Source: hoydo.
• The impact is socioeconomically skewed: in municipalities with very low development indices, the probability of preterm birth jumped by 8–10% after prolonged exposure Source: diariolibree.

Expert commentary

Lead researcher Dr. Aline Rocha states that drought is "not only an environmental or agricultural phenomenon, but also a possible determinant of maternal and child health" Source: hoydo. Project coordinator Dr. Otavio Ranzani notes that risk accumulation can "considerably increase vulnerability during pregnancy," adding that water scarcity often coincides with fires, pollution, or food price rises Source: diariolibree.

What's next

Although based on Brazilian records, the authors say the conclusions apply to other climate-vulnerable regions, such as the Mediterranean basin and Spain. The IR Sant Pau team will extend the analysis to assess whether cumulative drought exposure during pregnancy affects children's growth and development up to age five Source: hoydo.