Pregnancy and Beyond Part II: Temperature Extremes and High Altitude.

Over the last 35 years, transport technology has created new environmental frontiers in which family physicians are, and will continue to be, involved both in research and in administering patient care. Some frontiers address basic physiological problems that cross over into others. In a series of four articles, the author describes six of these frontiers with specific emphasis on pregnancy, from hyperbarism (undersea physiology) to microgravity (space physiology), and the problems, and linkages where evident. This second article explores the effects of temperature extremes and high altitude on the well-being of pregnant women.