Liyun Wang, Chunying Zhang, Jiangli Di, Qiong Wang, Meng Ren, Aiqun Huang, Sidi Chen, Wei Zhao, Huanqing Hu, Ailing Wang, Qian Di, John S Ji, Wannian Liang, Cunrui Huang
BACKGROUND: Heat exposure during pregnancy can increase the risk of preterm birth (PTB) through a range of potential mechanisms including pregnancy complications, hormone secretion and infections. However, current research mainly focuses on the effect of heat exposure on pathophysiological pathways of pregnant women, but ignore that maternal heat exposure can also cause physiological changes to the fetus, which will affect the risk of PTB. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to explore the mediating role of fetal heart rate (FHR) in the relationship between maternal heat exposure and PTB incidence...
April 23, 2024: Science of the Total Environment