Listen to Alan Barreca’s KCRW interview: Why extreme heat can hurt expectant moms

Alan Barreca, an associate professor at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, and a team of researchers explored the connection between early pregnancies and heat, and found that on days when temperatures exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit, birth rates increased. He says that’s due in part to higher oxytocin levels in expectant moms.