DeepSummary
The episode discusses the impact of climate change on reproductive health, including menstruation, childbirth, fertility, and menopause. Zoya Teirstein, a staff writer at Grist, shares insights from a series she worked on called "Expecting Worse: Giving Birth on a Planet in Crisis." She explains how saltwater intrusion in coastal areas like Bangladesh is leading to reproductive issues, infections, and even uterine cancer among women.
Teirstein also highlights how pregnant women are more susceptible to diseases like malaria due to their weakened immune systems. Additionally, the episode covers how climate change is affecting in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures, with one woman's embryo transfer being delayed due to Hurricane Ian.
While the impacts of climate change on reproductive health seem daunting, Teirstein emphasizes that many issues are preventable with proper interventions and funding. The episode also covers headlines, including the Nevada primary elections, a UN ceasefire resolution for the war in Gaza, and research showing that African elephants use unique names when communicating.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Climate change is impacting various aspects of reproductive health, including menstruation, childbirth, fertility, and menopause.
- Saltwater intrusion in coastal areas like Bangladesh is leading to reproductive issues, infections, and even uterine cancer among women.
- Pregnant women are more susceptible to diseases like malaria due to their weakened immune systems.
- Climate change events, such as hurricanes, can directly impact time-sensitive and expensive fertility treatments like IVF.
- While the impacts of climate change on reproductive health seem daunting, many issues are preventable with proper interventions and funding.
- The episode also covers current events like the Nevada primary elections, a UN ceasefire resolution for the war in Gaza, and research showing that African elephants use unique names when communicating.
- The episode provides a hopeful perspective, emphasizing that many of the impacts of climate change on health are preventable with proper interventions and funding.
- The episode highlights the gendered impacts of climate change and the importance of considering reproductive rights in the context of climate change.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “We just cracked open the door a bit to the elephant mind.“ by Co-author of the study
- “What's happening is that you have this widespread saltwater intrusion, and women in coastal Bangladesh are drinking water that has a lot of salt in it, and that has profound impacts on their health. Hypertension, uterine cancers, from standing in water that is too high now, fertility issues, menstruation issues, interrupted cycles, that kind of thing.“ by Zoya Teirstein
- “The interesting thing about disease and climate driven disease, which is my whole beat at grist, is that, you know, every illness and every death is hypothetically, it's preventable, it's not guaranteed that you will get sick.“ by Zoya Teirstein
- “The answer is that when you're pregnant, your immune system stands down in order not to reject the fetus. I didn't realize the extent to which that simple mechanism to make sure that you're not gonna reject this thing growing inside of you really primes the body for disease.“ by Zoya Teirstein
Entities
Person
Organization
Product
Book
Episode Information
What A Day
Crooked Media
6/11/24