SCIENCE FILE: An exploration of issues and trends affecting science, medicine and the environment : Study Finds Hot Weather Linked to Drop in Birth Rate
<i> From Times staff and wire reports</i>
The hot weather of August in Los Angeles will lead to a drop in births next April, according to University of Michigan researchers. A new study by the Michigan team shows that a 10-degree Fahrenheit increase in temperatures leads to a 6% decrease in births the following April, but researchers are not sure if it is because people are less likely to have intercourse in hot weather or because reproductive physiology changes at higher temperatures.
Although spring is the peak season for births in most species, it is not for humans. About 20% more babies are born in September than in April or May, and that pattern is more pronounced in the South, where summer temperatures are higher.
