The relation of gestation length to short-term heat stress.
OBJECTIVE
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.
Porter
K R
KR
Epidemiology Program, Chicago Department of Public Health, Ill. 60604, USA.
Thomas
S D
SD
Whitman
S
S
D002641:Chicago / Q000453:epidemiology; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006358:Hot Temperature / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D006813:Humidity; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy