Experts Warn Women Face Higher Heatwave Risks as UK Braces for More Extreme Heat

3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 8

Women are hit harder by heatwaves because they sweat less, start sweating at higher temperatures and face hormone shifts that disrupt temperature regulation, experts told the BBC.
Those biological strains can intensify during periods, perimenopause, menopause, pregnancy and breastfeeding, raising cardiovascular stress and worsening symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, hot flushes and poor sleep.
Socioeconomic pressures can deepen the risk: women are more likely to be lower paid or caregivers, while longer life expectancy leaves more women exposed to age-related heat vulnerability, dementia and diuretic use.
Experts said the UK’s increasingly frequent heatwaves driven by climate change require targeted protection, with advice to watch for heat exhaustion and heat stroke, hydrate, limit exertion and build women’s needs into policy and workplaces.