Climate Change Is a Reproductive Health Issue

As the climate emergency intensifies, its devastation is no longer limited to melting glaciers or scorched forests. It is unfolding within human bodies. While the visible impacts of climate change, rising seas, deadly heat, and toxic air, often dominate headlines, the less visible consequences on reproductive health are just as alarming. In fact, they are among the most urgent and underrecognized aspects of climate injustice.

From infertility and pregnancy complications to heightened exposure to violence and displacement, the climate crisis is exposing and exacerbating vulnerabilities in the most intimate realms of life. This is not just an environmental issue. It is a reproductive justice issue.

Plastics, Pollution, and the Intrusion Into the Human Body

Microplastics, the leftovers from an economy reliant on oil and gas, are now being detected in the human body in unprecedented ways. A recent study published in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety identified microplastics in ovarian follicular fluid, the environment where human eggs mature. These particles, which originate from single-use plastics, synthetic textiles, cosmetic packaging, and other everyday items, are not just infiltrating oceans and food chains. They are embedding themselves in human reproductive systems.

This exposure is not accidental. It is the byproduct of decades of industry-driven consumption, weak regulatory oversight, and a systemic disregard for the long-term health consequences of environmental toxins. Many of the products that contribute to plastic pollution, including fast fashion, cosmetics, period products, are disproportionately marketed to and used by women. The burden of exposure, too, is gendered.

We are not just surrounded by plastic. We are absorbing it.

Heat, Air Pollution, and Pregnancy Outcomes

Extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and chronic air pollution are increasingly common and increasingly dangerous for pregnant individuals. A growing body of research has linked these environmental stressors to preterm birth, low birth weight, stillbirth, and lifelong developmental harms. An article in Fertility and Sterility detailed how the cumulative impact of climate-related exposures can initiate a cascade of health challenges that span generations.

This is not a future threat. It is a current reality. In recent years, wildfires in California, Canada, and Australia have led to spikes in emergency visits for pregnant patients. Many communities, especially those that are low-income or historically marginalized, lack access to clean air, adequate cooling, or healthcare infrastructure that can mitigate these risks.

Displacement and Gender-Based Violence in the Wake of Disaster

Climate disasters force millions from their homes each year. For women and girls, displacement carries additional risks. In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, for example, nearly one-third of reported cases of sexual violence occurred in evacuation shelters. Displacement often strips individuals of access to reproductive care, contraception, and safe birthing conditions. It also increases the risk of trafficking and exploitation.

As climate-related displacement accelerates globally, these risks are expected to grow, particularly for communities already facing structural inequality.

The Overlooked Connection Between Heat and Violence

Emerging evidence suggests that rising temperatures are linked to increased rates of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and aggression. Heat acts as a stress multiplier, intensifying existing social tensions and exacerbating the effects of economic and emotional strain. These dynamics disproportionately impact women, girls, and other vulnerable populations.

In disaster zones and during heatwaves, spikes in gender-based violence have already been documented. These patterns will likely become more common as global temperatures continue to rise.

From Femtech to Federal Policy: The Need for Integrated Solutions

If we are to address reproductive health in a meaningful way, we must address the climate crisis. This requires more than lip service or economic incentives to boost birth rates. It demands investment in sustainable infrastructure, environmental justice policies, and research into how environmental exposures shape reproductive outcomes.

It also requires stronger regulation of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, better protections for displaced communities, and broader access to reproductive care in a rapidly warming world.

Femtech companies, healthcare providers, and policymakers have a responsibility to meet this moment. That means designing technologies and interventions that account for environmental risks and pushing for systemic change that protects the right to conceive and give birth in safe, healthy conditions.

Our bodies are not separate from the ecosystems we inhabit. When those systems break down, so does our capacity to thrive, and to create future life.