Night workers risk miscarriages
WOMEN who work night shifts are 80 per cent more likely to have fertility problems including the risk of a miscarriage than those doing regular hours, a study claims.
It adds that women who work varying shifts – not just nights – are more likely to take longer to conceive as well.
Almost a third – 29 per cent – of those who worked only at night had an increased rate of miscarriage.
A further 22 per cent who worked variable shifts suffered menstrual disruption, which can cause fertility problems, according to researchers at Southampton’s Princess Anne Hospital.
The adverse health impacts of shift work in early reproductive function is a new, additional finding
Dr Linden Stocker, who co-led the study, said: “We already know that working shifts is a risk factor for health and social wellbeing as shift workers suffer sleep deprivation.
"But the adverse health impacts of shift work in early reproductive function is a new, additional finding and it provides strong initial evidence that women trying to conceive would benefit from assessing their work patterns.”
The study, conducted in partnership with Dr Susan Bewley at King’s College London, was presented yesterday at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in London.