Exposure to higher-than-average levels of outdoor air pollution and extreme temperatures raises the risk of a prolonged pregnancy, new research suggests.
An analysis of almost 400,000 live births in Australia has revealed that people who were exposed to very hot or cold temperatures, as well as to elevated levels of fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5), during pregnancy were more likely to give birth after 41 weeks compared with people who were not exposed to those conditions.
