Delhi’s Toxic Air Poses Serious Risks for Pregnant Women

Summary

Delhi is seeing a very elevated air pollution levels posing serious health hazards for pregnant women.

The pregnant woman

Ms. Jamshed, a young woman, aged 31 years, in her final trimester, has been feeling suffocated with the air quality ranging from “poor” to “very poor” in Delhi, in the aftermath of the Diwali celebrations. She is concerned as to how fatal this pollution will prove for her unborn child. She is so concerned about her child’s safety that she is contemplating moving out of Delhi, but her job with the Government does not give her that option. She has already planned to visit her hometown after her delivery via C-section, to protect her child from the polluted environment. She has read studies as to how pollution affects the development of babies and she wears a mask whenever she goes out of her house.

Symptoms shown by pregnant women

There have been numerous cases of pregnant women displaying symptoms of fatigue, breathlessness, and increase in blood pressure. Gynaecologists across Delhi state that these symptoms can trigger pre-term deliveries.

Also this season sees a surge of Asthma and allergies as well as hypertension in expectant mothers. Doctors advise these women to keep the windows closed , stay indoors and consult their doctors online, as much as possible.

The precautions

A six-month-pregnant lady, Ms. Tyagi, aged 36 years, said that she has stayed indoors and keeps the air purifier on throughout. She says that despite the Court ban on bursting firecrackers, there were people who burst them anyway. She is concerned about the safety of her unborn child as the air is very toxic and unsafe.

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The complications

The toxic air of Delhi is unsafe for the elderly, children, pregnant women, patients with respiratory or cardiac conditions being the most vulnerable to infections.

Doctors say that pregnant women require more oxygen but the high pollution levels make their breathing deeper and faster. The air pollutants like PM 2.5 and PM 10 pass through the bloodstream and into the placenta, seriously impacting and reducing the baby’s oxygen supply,” said Dr. Manju Puri of SGT Hospital, Gurugram. She added that in cases of very severe infection, the placenta can detach, cut off blood flow and lead to stillbirths. In addition, the deprivation of oxygen increases the risk of pre-term births and babies with a low birth-weight, who are more susceptible to contracting chronic illnesses like diabetes and hypertension as they age.

In some cases, babies get suffocated and pass stool while still in the womb, which is a sign of distress. This is one of the reasons there has been a surge of C-sections during this season. Studies have shown that high pollution levels are linked to post-partum depression as well.

Medicines a last resort

Doctors are prescribing medicines to pregnant women, as a last resort, for their symptom of breathlessness and persistent dry cough, as they do not want any complications from side-effects to arise during pregnancy.

Inputs from various media sources.