Aspirin and Preterm Birth Among Pregnant People With Increased Heat Exposure

Does low-dose aspirin modify humid heat’s effect on preterm birth incidence?In this secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial, a greater mean daily maximum humid heat across gestation and in the 17 to 19 weeks predelivery was associated with increased odds of preterm birth among nulliparous individuals randomized to placebo, but not among those randomized to aspirin. However, heat was associated with perinatal mortality only among recipients of aspirin.These findings suggest that low-dose aspirin initiated early in pregnancy may mitigate the effects of heat exposure on preterm birth in nulliparous individuals, and increasing prevalence of heat stress warrants testing its broader efficacy in pregnant people and its safety regarding perinatal mortality.

Corresponding Author: Blair J. Wylie, MD, MPH, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02215 (bwylie@bidmc.harvard.edu).

Link to the article in your story

We encourage you to link out to this article in your story using the link below. It includes an access token that will give free access to the article for your readers up to one year after publication. (The link will be live after the article publishes and embargo is lifted.)

Please see the article for additional information, including full author list, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

Need more information? Contact us.