Is sun great for you when pregnant?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Researchers found that pregnant females who had higher levels of sun exposure during their first trimester were at lower risk for preterm birth.
- Sun exposure may help boost vitamin D levels, which are previously linked to pregnancy outcomes.
- More research is needed to investigate the link, but getting some sunlight will not hurt.
Pregnant women who get more sunlight in their trimester of pregnancy may have a lower risk of preterm birth and pregnancy loss, consistent with new research.
The July study, which was published in Frontiers in Reproductive Health, analyzed health records of nearly 400,000 mothers and quite 500,000 babies who were born in Scotland after twenty-four weeks of pregnancy. The researchers cross-checked the info with weather records from equivalent timeframes to live sunlight exposure.
The overall risk of preterm birth was six per cent, but it dropped for those that were exposed to more sunlight in their trimester.
The researchers found that women who were exposed to more sunlight in their trimester had a tenth lower risk of developing problems with their placenta that are linked to preterm birth and baby loss compared to those with less sunlight exposure.
The overall risk of preterm birth was six per cent, but it dropped for those that were exposed to more sunlight in their trimester.
The researchers found that females who were exposed to more sunlight in their trimester had a tenth lower risk of developing problems with their placenta that are linked to preterm birth and baby loss compared to those with less sunlight exposure.
However, the researchers did not find a link between sun exposure and premature birth risk within the trimester.
“This exposes new mechanisms, and potential therapeutic pathways, for preterm birth control,” the researchers wrote.
The team is reportedly studying if artificial light can boost pregnancy health to assist parents who sleep in areas with less sunlight.
Preterm birth happens when a baby is born before thirty-seven weeks of pregnancy. Preterm babies have a better risk of great health complications than their full-term counterparts. Those can include lifelong health problems like spastic paralysis and learning disabilities.
Many women who give birth prematurely do have not any known risk factors. However, some known risk factors can include:
- Previous preterm birth
- Short cervix
- Past procedures on the cervix
- Early cervical dilation
- Carrying more than one fetus
- Injury during a past delivery
- Infections during pregnancy
- Vaginal bleeding during pregnancy
- Smoking during pregnancy
- Low pre-pregnancy weight
- Being younger than seventeen or older than thirty-five
- Dietary deficiencies
WHY MIGHT SUNLIGHT EXPOSURE HELP?
The study did not investigate why sunlight may help, but study co-author Sarah Stock, PhD, a maternal-fetal medicine researcher at The University of Edinburgh, tells Verywell that there are some theories.
“Sunlight causes the discharge of gas from the skin that relaxes blood vessels, and that we believe this might help a healthy pregnancy to determine within the womb,” she says. “Nitric oxide also may relax the womb itself, helping to stop early contractions.”
Another theory, Stock says, is that the link between preterm birth and sunlight is more about vitamin D, which your body produces when it is exposed to sunlight.
“Some studies have shown that preterm birth rates are higher in women with low vitamin D levels, which can be because vitamin D helps prevent infections which will cause preterm birth,” Stock says.
Vitamin D also “aids the event of the baby’s bones, teeth, cardiovascular and nervous systems,” women’s health expert Jennifer Wider, MD, tells Verywell.
HOW TO LOWER THE DANGER OF PRETERM BIRTH
There are a couple of steps you’ll fancy to lower your risk of preterm birth.
“Take a prenatal multivitamin, avoid tobacco and second-hand smoke, exercise, and eat a well-balanced diet,” Wider says.
It is also crucial to form regular appointments together with your healthcare provider, she adds.
Another important step to require, Stock says, is to urge vaccinated against Coronavirus-19 if you have not already since research has found a link between having the virus and preterm birth. Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG) now recommend that pregnant people get jabbed.
As for sunlight exposure, Stock says that more research is required before doctors can recommend this for patients.
Still, she points out, getting some sunlight during your trimester can not hurt. “It seems sensible to avoid sunburn, but to not avoid sun exposure,” she says.
SOURCE
https://www.verywellhealth.com/sun-exposure-in-pregnancy-may-reduce-preterm-birth-risk-5199796