Work demands 'can impact on pregnancy'

International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Tuesday, 5th May 2009

New research has highlighted that women who do a physically-demanding job or work long hours while pregnant have an increased chance of giving birth to a smaller baby.

The study, which was conducted at University College Dublin in Ireland and INSERM in France and detailed in the BJOG, showed a "strong association" between high physical work demands and a low birth weight of below 2,500 g.

Working long hours (40 hours or more a week) was also found to be linked to a low birth weight.

It was noted that women who worked on temporary contracts were more likely to have a preterm birth, which is thought to be a result of having poorer working conditions and stress due to job insecurity.

"This study underlines that more attention should be given to women’s working conditions during pregnancy, and effort should be intensified towards reducing exposure to physical work demands, shift work, and long working hours for pregnant women," commented Dr Isabelle Niedhammer, who co-authored the study.

Researchers at the University of Bristol, UK recently suggested that mothers who are anxious during pregnancy are more likely to give birth to a child with asthma