Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology

SCOPUS
  • Year: 2025
  • Volume: 18
  • Issue: 1

The impact of environmental exposures on pregnancy outcomes

  • Author:
  • Randa Khirfan1,*, Heba Kotb2,6, Huda Atiyeh3, Nahid AlHasan4, Asmaa Hassan5
  • Total Page Count: 9
  • Page Number: 427 to 435

1Assistant Professor, Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Nursing, Zarqa University, Jordan

2Associate Professor, Nursing Administration, Faculty of Nursing, Zarqa University, Jordan

6Assistant Professor, Nursing Administration, Faculty of Nursing, Assiut University, Egypt

3Assistant Professor, Nursing Administration, Faculty of Nursing, Zarqa University, Jordan

4Assisstant Professor, Nursing Administration, Faculty of Nursing, Zarqa University, Jordan

5Associate Professor, Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Zarqa University, Jordan

Abstract

Pregnancy represents an essential period of vulnerability, during which environmental exposures can profoundly affect maternal and fetal fitness. Adverse pregnancy results, including preterm labor, low start weight, stillbirth, and congenital anomalies, make a contribution substantially to global morbidity and mortality. Emerging evidence hyperlinks those effects to environmental exposures including air pollutants, heavy metals, insecticides, endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), and socio-environmental stressors. This study aims to assess the impact of environmental exposures on pregnancy consequences, discover the underlying biological mechanisms, compare disparities in publicity and effects, and identify research gaps to inform public fitness interventions and guidelines. Methodologically the study uses the search engine using electronic databases to complete systematic evaluation turned into the use of peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2024. The evaluation examined numerous environmental exposures and their institutions with pregnancy results, focusing on mechanisms such as oxidative pressure, infection, endocrine disruption, and placental disorder. Socio-environmental disparities and their role in compounding risks were additionally analyzed. The findings screen study associations between air pollution (e.g., PM2.5., NO2) and adverse results, which includes preterm birth and low birth weight. Heavy metals, such as lead and mercury, had been connected to neurodevelopmental impairments and expanded dangers of preeclampsia and spontaneous abortion. EDCs, consisting of BPA and phthalates, interfered with hormonal pathways, heightening risks of gestational complications. Socioeconomic factors and residential proximity to commercial websites exacerbated these risks, particularly in marginalized populations. Biological mechanisms underlying those impacts included oxidative strain, epigenetic changes, and placental disorder. Environmental exposures all through pregnancy pose sizeable dangers to maternal and fetal health, necessitating urgent movement to mitigate these influences. Researchers suggest future studies need to prioritize cumulative exposure exams, longitudinal research, and worldwide collaboration, in particular in low- and middle-earnings countries. Policymakers need to put in force stricter policies on pollutants, whilst healthcare practitioners need to integrate environmental risk tests into prenatal care. Addressing these challenges is critical to advancing maternal and toddler health fairness and reducing preventable risks all through this important duration.

Keywords

Environmental exposures, Pregnancy outcomes, Air pollution, Heavy metals, Endocrine-disrupting chemicals, Socio-environmental stressors, Public health, Maternal health, Fetal health