Beyond the infant in your arms: effects of climate change last for generations

Climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century. In addition to short-term reproductive health impacts, climate -related events will influence the risks of long-term and intergenerational mortality and morbidity for both birthing parents and offspring. As climate conditions continue to deteriorate in future generations, less healthy parents will give birth to less healthy offspring, who themselves will experience increased risk of reproductive outcomes. This intergenerational process causes a repeating cycle of poor parental preconception health, gestational complications, and poor offspring health, which leads to suboptimal precon-ception health among those offspring when they reach reproductive age. Because our ongoing efforts mostly focus on helping families achieve and maintain a healthy pregnancy, a critical need to think beyond the infant in our arms and consider the long-term implica-tions of climate change exists. Such efforts may involve policy strengthening efforts to reduce emissions, further engaging health care providers as active advocates, ensuring equitable and sustainable mitigation and adaptable strategies, and conducting more research that yields actionable data to guide policy efforts, especially in regions and populations most affected by climate change. (Fertil Sterile 2022;118:224-9. (c) 2022 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.)

Automated summary

Climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century, impacting short-term and long-term reproductive health. As climate conditions deteriorate, less healthy parents will give birth to offspring with increased risk of reproductive outcomes. It is crucial to go beyond the focus on healthy pregnancies and consider the long-term implications of climate change, including policy strengthening, engaging healthcare providers, ensuring equitable and sustainable mitigation strategies, and conducting research to guide policy efforts.