Flights into space over long distances are dangerous for pregnancy

Russian scientists have found that long-distance space flights can be dangerous for pregnant women. Pregnancy on board a spacecraft can be greatly complicated due to the absence of the usual geomagnetic field, as specialists from the Russian Science Foundation specified.

The experiment was carried out on zebrafish. Usually they study diseases of the human cardiovascular system. Fish embryos were divided into two groups: some grew in conditions almost without a magnetic field, while others grew in a geomagnetic environment. The change of day and night was simulated. Most of the embryos from the medium without a magnetic field died. Survivors developed with disorders, in particular, with unstable work of the heart.

“Many particles around and inside us have magnetic properties. If the geomagnetic field weakens to zero values, then physiological processes dependent on the magnetic environment will be disrupted,” said in an interview with RIA News Vyacheslav Krylov, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Chief Researcher of the Institute of Biology.

Scientists believe that this may be an adaptive mechanism. According to the researchers, such violations should be taken into account when planning pregnancy during space flights.