Chris Holstege, MD
Chris Holstege, MD, a professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics and director of the Blue Ridge Poison Center, talked with The Associated Press for an article featured in more than 100 outlets – including ABCNews.com and The Washington Post – on how extreme heat affects pregnant women.
Pregnancy alters the body in ways that can make shedding heat more difficult. Because heat already stresses the heart, kidneys, and other organs, these risks increase when the body’s cooling processes change during pregnancy.
In addition, when temperatures and humidity rise, the body sends more blood to the skin to release heat. This makes the heart beat faster, pumping nearly twice the usual amount of blood each minute. For pregnant women handling potent substances like pesticides, increased blood flow can also increase chemical absorption, said Dr. Holstege.
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