Extreme Temperatures During Pregnancy: A Possible Impact on the Lung Development of Newborn Girls

Exposure to extreme temperatures from the fetal stage could impact health. This is what suggests a study by researchers from Inserm, Université Grenoble Alpes and CNRS, based on the SEPAGES cohort , intended to study the impact of various environmental factors on the health of pregnant women and their children. In this research, to be published in JAMA Network open , associations were found in newborn girls, between in utero exposure to very high or very low ambient temperatures from the second trimester of pregnancy and the alteration of several respiratory parameters. The thermoregulation implemented by the body in response to variations of temperature requires the adaptation of maternal blood flow and cardiac function which, when this occurs during pregnancy, can be to the detriment of the fetus. Physiological alterations have also been observed in animals in response to heat stress exposures, such as impaired placental development with reduced blood flow, or oxidative stress which, outside of normal conditions, may affect the health of mother and child. External temperature could therefore have an impact on embryo-fetal development. A team led by Inserm researchers Johanna Lepeule and Ariane Guilbert at the Institute for Advanced Biosciences (Inserm/Université Grenoble Alpes/CNRS), wished to verify this hypothesis using data from the SEPAGES cohort (Assessment of Air Pollution Exposure During Pregnancy and Effect on Health). Made up of pregnant women and children from their pregnancies, this cohort makes it possible to study the effect of various environmental factors on health. Exposure Modeled Throughout Pregnancy