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The relation of gestation length to short-term heat stress
K R Porter1, S D Thomas, S Whitman
1Epidemiology Program, Chicago Department of Public Health, Ill. 60604, USA.
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.