Climate change, fertility and pregnancy are not typically discussed together. Obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Ying Gu wants to change that.
We know about the impact of climate change on our environment, but what about on fertility and pregnancy?
As an obstetrician and gynaecologist, I’m very concerned about how climate change affects women’s health. Women will be one of the more vulnerable groups affected by climate change.
Specifically, on our fertility rates and pregnancy health.
I specialise in ultrasound at the Royal Women’s Hospital and Mercy Hospital for Women in Melbourne. I joined Doctors for the Environment Australia, a not-for-profit advocacy group of doctors and medical students, following the Black Summer bushfires in 2019-20. I saw how the thick smoke exacerbated my niece’s asthma and kept the children from playing outside and this made me realize the health impacts of climate change are affecting us now.
And I’m worried about the impact on my patients: pregnant women and their babies.
Climate change has been linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes such as reduced fertility, pre-term/early delivery before 37 weeks and lower birth weight.
Bushfires and burning fossil fuels release a hazardous air pollutant that is so small, that when inhaled can enter the body and cause inflammation and increase the chance of preterm birth and reduce birth weight. During the Black Summer bushfires in 2019-2020, the eastern states reached levels of this pollutant 5 to 7 times beyond what is classified as ‘poor air quality’. It has been shown that exposure to this pollutant accounts for up to 18 per cent of the global preterm birth rate and this will only increase as climate change increases the frequency and severity of bushfires. Our current hospitals already struggle with the demands of the current rate of preterm delivery.
While there are many causes and interacting factors that can lead to infertility, climate change can contribute to lower fertility. Numerous studies have shown a link between pre-pregnancy exposure to air pollutants and lower fertility and lower live births in natural conceptions and after IVF. By electrifying our transport and transitioning to renewable energy, not only will we slow global warming but we will also improve general and reproductive health.
Rising global temperatures and disrupted rain patterns will increase the distribution of diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. In pregnancy, the Zika virus interrupts babies’ brain development causing the head to be very small. The outbreak in 2016 led the World Health Organization to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Recent modelling shows that 1.3 billion more people could be at risk of Zika virus by 2050.
To minimize harm and protect our community’s health, we need to transition away from fossil fuels and make changes to decrease global warming.
We need to act.
For women and specifically those pregnant or considering pregnancy, unfortunately climate change means more responsibility needs to be taken on where you go and on protecting yourself in extreme weather conditions. For example, keeping out of the heat and staying hydrated in a heatwave. It’s not about getting paranoid – pregnancy can be an intimidating journey as it is – instead it’s about living your life in the safest way for you and your family.
For all members of our communities, the need to act is absolutely about harnessing our power to influence businesses and government through our purchasing decisions and our votes. Collectively we need to support policies that address the systemic sources of climate change, of which fossil fuels is a major cause.
By doing so, we model the behaviour to others, to our children and ultimately bring benefit to all of us. Climate care is health care. Our health and wellbeing depend on a healthy environment.
Dr Gu spoke more about her experience on a recent podcast.