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Extreme heat has led to a marked increase in the risks faced by pregnant women and their babies, according to a survey of 1,000 health care professionals in countries including Brazil, India and Zimbabwe.

The survey, commissioned by the medical research foundation Wellcome, found that 73% of maternal health care professionals had seen an increase in heat-related complications in the past five years. More than three-quarters reported an increase in harm to fetuses or newborn babies over the same period.

The findings, which also include Australia and the U.K., add to a wealth of scientific evidence linking extreme heat with poor pregnancy outcomes, including maternal deaths and preterm births.

Nearly every health professional who responded said they had cared for a pregnant woman or baby whose health was affected by extreme heat.

The findings were released on Monday (Oct. 5) at a pre-COP summit in Fiji, where Wellcome launched a global call to action on heat and women's health, ahead of the U.N. climate summit COP31 in Antalya, Turkey, in November.

Julia Gillard, chair of Wellcome and former prime minister of Australia, said no woman should have to fear that extreme heat will harm her baby.

"Extreme heat is an invisible killer, but pregnant women must not be invisible," she said. "Leaders have the evidence and solutions they need—now they must act."

Around a quarter of the survey respondents had seen pregnancy complications that they believed were linked to extreme heat and needed monitoring or treatment.

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