A quiet crisis is unfolding across India, and it’s not in the headlines as often as it should be. It’s not about politics or economics, it’s about something far more personal and delicate: pregnancy. A new global study has revealed that extreme heat, intensified by climate change, is putting millions of expecting mothers at risk. And India, with its sweltering summers and dense population, is right at the heart of this growing health emergency.

Between 2020 and 2024, Indian cities and states have experienced an alarming rise in what scientists call “pregnancy heat risk days”, periods of dangerously high temperatures known to increase the chances of maternal complications and premature births. On average, the country has seen six additional such days every year over the past five years, all directly linked to the accelerating pace of global warming. While that number might sound small to some, in terms of impact, it’s monumental. One extra day of extreme heat could mean the difference between a healthy pregnancy and one filled with complications. And for a country like India, where access to quality maternal healthcare is often unequal and stretched thin, the consequences can be devastating.

The findings come from Climate Central, a U.S. based research organization composed of scientists and communicators dedicated to studying the impact of climate change on human life. They evaluated data from 247 countries and territories, covering 940 major cities, to understand just how much hotter and more dangerous the world has become for pregnant people. India’s numbers stood out for all the wrong reasons. In places like Sikkim, where the terrain and weather have typically been moderate, the number of pregnancy heat risk days linked to climate change has soared to 32 in just five years. That’s more than a month of added exposure to potentially hazardous temperatures. Goa and Kerala, both coastal regions, reported 24 and 18 such days respectively, further proof that no region is immune, whether nestled in the hills or stretched along the sea.

Zooming in further, the picture gets even more concerning at the city level. Panaji, the laid back capital of Goa, has faced the worst of it, clocking an average of 39 extra heat risk days for pregnant women annually over the past five years. That’s more than a month of added exposure to conditions that threaten both mother and child. Thiruvananthapuram trails closely with 36 days, while metros like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai also find themselves struggling with increasing risk. Even Pune, known for its relatively mild climate, has not been spared.

But what exactly makes these days so dangerous for pregnant women? According to a growing body of medical research, prolonged exposure to high temperatures during pregnancy can trigger a cascade of complications. These range from gestational hypertension and diabetes to premature labor and even stillbirth. The fetus, in particular, is highly sensitive to heat, and the mother’s ability to regulate temperature becomes more strained as pregnancy progresses. When compounded with dehydration, nutritional deficiencies, and limited access to cooling environments or air conditioned medical facilities the risks grow exponentially.

This isn’t just about the heat. It’s about inequality. While urban centers like Mumbai or Bengaluru have hospitals equipped with climate controlled delivery rooms and specialists on call, rural India often tells a different story. Here, expecting mothers may have to walk miles to reach a health center, endure sweltering conditions at home, and deal with minimal prenatal care. In these regions, the additional pregnancy heat risk days aren’t just a medical concern they become a matter of life and death.

The rise in dangerous heat days also intersects with India's wider public health challenges. The country has made impressive strides in reducing maternal mortality rates over the years, thanks to programs promoting institutional deliveries and better antenatal care. But climate change threatens to undo some of that progress. If these extra hot days continue to climb which scientists predict they will, the strain on the healthcare system could intensify. Already, hospitals are struggling with heat related admissions every summer, and pregnant women are increasingly part of that statistic.

Experts like Dr. Bruce Bekkar, a women’s health physician who has been sounding the alarm on climate change and maternal health, believe we are at a tipping point. The link between climate and maternal health is no longer theoretical it’s real, measurable, and dangerous. As he puts it, reducing fossil fuel emissions isn't just about slowing global warming. It's about protecting pregnant women and giving newborns a fighting chance at a healthy start in life.

Kristina Dahl, a climate scientist at Climate Central, echoes that sentiment. She warns that even a single day of extreme heat can raise the risk of serious pregnancy complications. And it’s not just in developing nations. While poorer regions are more vulnerable due to limited healthcare infrastructure, wealthy countries are not immune. But in India, the scale of the population and the diversity of its geography make the issue uniquely complex and urgent.

Interestingly, the study also found that nearly a third of countries globally are now seeing at least an extra month of such risky days each year. The biggest increases have occurred in places like the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and parts of Africa, all regions where healthcare access is already limited and resources are stretched. India is part of that growing cohort. Its inclusion is a warning that even emerging economies with significant healthcare reforms need to be vigilant about the invisible hand of climate change on public health.

There’s another layer to this issue i.e. the mental load. Pregnancy already brings anxiety, especially for first time mothers. Add the fear of heat related complications, and the emotional toll rises. In rural belts, this can mean added social pressure and fear of stigma if a baby is born prematurely or suffers complications. Many mothers silently shoulder the guilt, unaware that an uncontrollable factor like rising temperatures played a role. The psychological impact is often overlooked but deserves attention.

So what can be done? For starters, awareness must rise. Pregnant women, especially in vulnerable communities, need information on how to protect themselves during extreme heat. Government health workers should be trained to identify heat related complications and advise mothers accordingly. Clinics must ensure access to drinking water, shaded waiting areas, and prioritize expectant mothers during heatwaves. These are low cost, high impact solutions.

From a broader policy perspective, the healthcare system must integrate climate resilience into maternal and child health programs. This means not just responding to heatwaves but preparing for them, forecasting hot days, issuing alerts, and modifying care delivery accordingly. Building climate smart hospitals, updating guidelines to reflect changing weather patterns, and training frontline workers in heat related protocols are no longer optional they are essential.

And of course, the biggest solution lies in the fight against climate change itself. India's commitment to renewable energy and sustainable development must accelerate. Reducing emissions and transitioning to cleaner fuels is not only good for the environment it's crucial for safeguarding maternal health. Every degree of temperature rise controlled is a step toward fewer complications in the delivery room and healthier babies in the cradle.

As the mercury rises, so must our sense of urgency. For too long, climate change has been framed as a future threat, something abstract and distant. But for a pregnant woman in Panaji, sweating through another sweltering day, it's already here. It’s real. And it's making pregnancy harder than it needs to be.

India, with its tradition of revering motherhood and protecting new life, cannot afford to ignore this. Whether it’s a young mother in Sikkim or an expectant professional in Mumbai, every woman deserves the chance to carry her child without fear that the sun overhead might be doing unseen harm.

If the country truly wishes to protect its next generation, it must start by shielding the mothers of today. Because no woman should have to fight the heat and climate change while fighting to bring life into the world