Women in India are found to be twice as likely to lose babies if they are working in hot conditions.
Working in extreme heat can double the risk of stillbirth and miscarriage for pregnant women, according to new research from India.Researchers say hotter summers can affect not only women in tropical climates, but also in countries such as the UK.
Sumathy has to protect her hands from the constant stabbing of the tiny spikes on the cucumbers, but the gloves make her sweat profusely.She comes to the cucumber farm before and after her main job, working as a cook in a school, and is paid about 200 rupees or just under £2 for her efforts.The BBC's global health correspondent Tulip Mazumdar reports from southern India on new research suggesting heat can double the risk of stillbirth and miscarriage.
Sumathy will never know for sure if working in the heat during her pregnancy had anything to do with her losing her first child. "The UK is getting hotter summers, and while it's not as hot as India, these adverse effects can be seen at much lower temperatures in more temperate climates, such as the UK."
In the sugarcane fields of Tiruvannamalai, Rekha Shanmugam, a former nurse and one of the SRIHER study's researchers, is measuring the daytime heat. "If the workers continue for prolonged periods in this level of heat, they are more prone to heat-related illnesses, and it's especially concerning for pregnant women," she tells me.Sandhiya, 28, tells me she has no choice but to do this type of back-breaking work for which she gets paid about 600 rupees, just under £6 a day.Sandhiya also took part in the study - and lost her first child six months into her pregnancy.
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