Drought during pregnancy increases preterm birth risks, study finds

A study conducted by the Sant Pau Research Institute in Barcelona has revealed that exposure to drought during pregnancy increases the risk of preterm birth. The research, published in The Lancet Regional Health - Americas, analyzed nearly 30 million births in Brazil between 2001 and 2020 in coordination with the Data and Knowledge Integration Center for Health (CIDACS).

Findings indicate that continuous water scarcity raises the probability of preterm birth by an average of 2%, a figure that climbs to 5% during severe or extreme drought phases. Furthermore, prolonged droughts lasting six to nine months increase the likelihood of babies being born small for their gestational age by 1% to 2%.

The study highlights that the combination of water shortages and extreme heat exacerbates these risks through dehydration, thermal stress, poor maternal nutrition, and limited access to prenatal care. There is a significant socioeconomic bias in these impacts; in municipalities with very low development indices, the probability of preterm birth spiked between 8% and 10% following prolonged exposure to drought.