Women's First-trimester Working Conditions Impact Infant Birthweight

Main Category: Pregnancy / Obstetrics
Article Date: 22 Jun 2009 - 4:00 PDT

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A new study shows that high levels of job strain during early pregnancy are associated with reduced birthweight and an increased risk of delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.

A sample of 8,266 pregnant women in Amsterdam, Netherlands, completed a questionnaire gathering information on employment and working conditions. Researchers found that a workweek of 32 hours or more and high job strain were significantly associated with birthweight. The combination of high job strain and a long workweek resulted in the largest birthweight reduction and the highest risk of delivering an SGA infant.

The study's authors suggest, "Although pregnant women typically reduce their working hours or workloads at the end of their pregnancy, our results suggest that reducing job strain and working hours in the initial stages of pregnancy may be beneficial among women with stressful full-time jobs."

Source
American Journal of Public Health

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