Climate change makes pregnancy more dangerous, impacts reproductive health, journalists say

This is the 1st in a series of feature stories on environmental topics by Knight Center students who attended the 2025 Society of Environmental Journalists conference.

By Clara Lincolnhol

Clara Lincolnhol

There is no such thing as an “uncomplicated pregnancy” now for most women, thanks to climate change, said journalists at the 2025 Society of Environmental Journalists Conference.

Pregnant women use more oxygen and water than non-pregnant ones, making them more sensitive to changes in their environments.

They also have a harder time regulating their body temperature, said Jesssica Kutz, a reporter for The 19th.

Climate change directly affects pregnant women through warming temperatures and worsening air quality, making pregnancy more difficult and dangerous, she said.

It can also impact accessibility to, and the effectiveness of, contraceptives. For example, many Americans order birth control pills by mail, but if temperatures climb too high while the pills are in an enclosed space, like a mailbox, they become ineffective, Kutz said.

Climate change-induced natural disasters limit accessibility to reproductive health care by making it physically impossible at times to receive care. That can be through closures, damage to health centers, impassable roads and power outages that render certain medications unviable, she said. Continue reading →