In The Heat Of Motherhood: How India's Pregnant Women Struggled Through Rising Temperatures

Lucknow: As the heatwave swept across large swathes of Indian cities this summer, women in low-income neighbourhoods quietly paid the price with rising rates of preterm births, stillbirths, and pregnancy-related complications. For millions of expectant mothers like Rekha Devi, who lives in the congested Rajendra Nagar slums of Lucknow, the unbearable heat is not just an inconvenience, it is a life-altering health hazard.

“I lost my child in the eighth month,” says Rekha, 26, wiping her forehead as she sits outside her one-room home with no fan, let alone air-conditioning. “The doctor said my baby did not survive because of dehydration and heat stress. I had no idea heat could do this.”

A 2024 study confirms that extreme heat exposure increases the risk of preterm births by up to 26 percent. The same study revealed that every 1°C rise in temperature raises the risk of premature delivery by 4 percent. For women living in poorly ventilated, overcrowded urban settlements, this statistic translates into daily trauma.

In areas like Lucknow, Kanpur, and Varanasi, where temperatures routinely cross 45°C during peak summer and blackouts last for hours, pregnant women were among the most affected. These cities, especially their unplanned settlements, have become victims of the urban heat island (UHI) effect — a phenomenon where dense construction, concrete surfaces, and lack of green cover trap heat and amplify ambient temperatures.

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Silent Emergencies in Overheated Homes

Meena Kumari, 32, lives in a tin-roofed house in East Delhi’s Khichripur. In May 2025, she delivered her baby at home — three weeks early. “I fainted while cooking. My husband carried me to the local dispensary in a rickshaw,” she recalls. “The doctors said my body couldn’t handle the heat, and my labour was triggered early.”

Similarly, in Jaipur’s Sodala neighbourhood, Shabana, a daily wager, lost her pregnancy in the seventh month. “I was working as a domestic help. My body swelled up, I felt breathless all the time,” she says. She now fears the heat as much as poverty.

Dr. Jaya Shreedhar, a Chennai-based physician and health journalist, warns that heat stress is a growing threat to maternal health. “High temperatures can cause uterine contractions, raise fetal heart rates, and reduce placental blood flow, putting both mother and baby at risk,” she explains.

Even when women try to stay hydrated, the oppressive humidity and constant sweating lead to electrolyte imbalances. “This disrupts hormonal balance and can lead to miscarriage or preterm labour,” Dr. Shreedhar adds.

The Climate Crisis in the Womb

In 2025, India recorded its hottest March–June period in over a century. Cities like Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Prayagraj and Lucknow clocked heat indices near 45°C. Rural pockets in Bundelkhand and Vidarbha fared no better. On June 16, Prayagraj recorded 46.9 Degree Celsius while in Banda temperature regularly recorded over 45 degree in June.

Maya, a 35-year-old mother of two in Jhansi in UP, delivered her baby in late April after struggling with fatigue, dizziness, and loss of appetite throughout her pregnancy. Her home — a single-room dwelling with asbestos roofing — would become a “pressure cooker” by midday. “My baby moved less on hot days. I was scared,” she says.

To cool down, she poured water on the floor and lay down on a wet bedsheet. Her family often skipped cooking lunch altogether during peak heat to avoid stifling temperatures in the kitchen.

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Health Infrastructure Falling Short

Despite the known risks, most government hospitals in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar have no protocols in place for pregnant women during heatwaves. “There is no mechanism to track heat-induced pregnancy complications. Maternity wards don’t even have cooling facilities in many district hospitals,” says Dr. Rakhi Ghosh, a gynaecologist at state-run hospital in Lucknow.

During the deadly 2025 heatwave in Uttar Pradesh, which claimed over 150 lives, no data was recorded on maternal outcomes. “Pregnancy is simply not considered a climate-vulnerable category in our disaster response,” Dr. Ghosh laments.

Government schemes like Janani Suraksha Yojana or Mamata Yojana promote institutional deliveries but do not offer support for heat-related maternal stress. “We have to begin by acknowledging heat as a maternal health hazard,” says Dr. Neelesh Verma, a public health researcher.

India’s Heat and Pregnancy Study

The term "pregnancy heat-risk days" refers to extremely hot days that are associated with heightened risks of preterm birth (birth before 37 completed weeks of gestation) and complications in maternal health. Preterm birth can have lasting health effects on the baby and increase the risk of maternal health problems after birth.

The analysis by Climate Central, an independent group of scientists and communicators, is based on a counterfactual scenario – a world without human-caused climate change and compared that to the total number observed each year.

The study shows that heat exposure during pregnancy is linked to higher risks of complications like hypertension, gestational diabetes, maternal hospitalisations and severe maternal morbidity. Further, it is associated with an increased risk of adverse outcomes such as stillbirth and preterm birth.

Using devices like wearables and thermal sensors, the study is mapping temperature exposure against fetal growth, maternal stress, and birth weight. “We need India-specific evidence,” says Dr. Reena Mishra, the lead investigator. “South Asian populations are used to heat, but the intensity and duration of today’s heatwaves are breaking biological limits.”

Preliminary findings already point to a higher risk of gestational hypertension, stunting, and stillbirth in high-heat zones. The final report, due in 2026, could inform national maternal health policies.

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Way Forward

Urban planner Anil Kumar from Lucknow points out that “Our cities are not designed for heat resilience.” He advocates for tree cover, reflective roofing, green buildings, and emergency cooling shelters in slum clusters.

While India has a Heat Action Plan framework, its implementation remains weak in maternal health. “Pregnant women need special shelters, hydration kits, and cool wards in hospitals during peak heat. Otherwise, we are setting them up to fail,” says Dr. Ghosh.

Meanwhile, women like Rekha Devi and Maya continue to cope in silence, pouring water on floors, fanning themselves with cloth, or sitting by open windows — while their bodies and babies bear the cost of a warming planet.

As India faced such a relentless summer, the question remains: Can we afford to ignore the climate crisis in the womb?