Reproduction at Altitude -- Keeping you updated on scientific findings in altitude research
Feb 23, 2004 20: 44 EST
The latest issue of High Altitude Medicine and Biology focuses on scientific advances in the study of problems with fertility, pregnancy and birth at altitude. It comes as a surprise to some that the effects of as little as 2500 meters can have substantial effects on reproductive success and outcomes. Some of the work published in this latest issue helps doctors and scientists sort out the fact from the fiction...
-- Drs Vitzthum and Wiley find no clear negative effect of altitude on fertility rates and argue that although fertility rates are lower at altitude, this may be due to factors such as adaptation, natural selection and developmental processes as well as cultural influences.
-- Dr Moore reiterates that birth weight falls with increasing altitude because of hypoxia. But in some populations adaptation via growth and remodeling of the uterine artery permits higher uterine artery blood flows and protection against altitude-associated intrauterine growth retardation.
-- Drs White and Zhang tested this human observation by Dr Moore on pregnant and non-pregnant sheep and guinea pigs exposed to chronic hypoxia and found enhanced uterine artery blood flow in sheep but not guinea pigs.
-- Dr Niermeyer finds that cardiopulmonary transition in infants at high altitude is diesrupted and can result in high altitude pulmonary hypertension and may be partly responsible for increased infant mortality at altitude.
Reference: High Altitude Medicine and Biology, volume 4, number 2, summer 2003.
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