Monique Rainford - HER HEALTH

A friend asked me recently if I was concerned about the threat of the various hurricanes. She suggested that the changes in barometric pressure might precipitate the onset of labour. While I have had no experience of this occurring with any of my patients, some of them have been concerned about these possibilities.

After doing a literature search, my conclusion is that the evidence to support this theory is still weak. A large study performed more that 10 years ago in Massachusetts, United States of America, involving more that 2,000 women did not find any statistically significant increase in spontaneous labour in women at term with drops in barometric pressure. This study did mention other research performed years earlier which supported an association between a woman's water breaking and a fall in barometric pressure as well as an increase in the onset of labour but it could not confirm either finding.

The authors also noted that the results could not be applied to other geographic locations and the study itself was not done under hurricane conditions. However, a smaller study performed in the same decade in Houston, Texas did show a statistically significant increase in the number of women going into labour during the 24 hours after a drop in barometric pressure. While I advise all pregnant women to be prepared in any weather emergency and to make appropriate preparations as they approach their due date, it still appears unlikely that these weather conditions will have a dramatic effect on their likelihood of going into labour. However, more research on the subject would be helpful for a more conclusive answer.

A large study performed more that 10 years ago in Massachusetts, United States of America, involving more that 2,000 women did not find any statistically significant increase in spontaneous labour in women at term with drops in barometric pressure.