Heavy Lifting, Working on Antisocial Hours Can Reduce Women's Fertility [Study]

A woman’s fertility could be reduced if she regularly takes jobs that involve heavy lifting, a new study says. Such circumstances are further raised for overweight and obese women.

Published in the Occupational and Environmental Medicine journal, the new study also found that taking on work during antisocial hours, such as during the night, or rotating shifts, can have an impact on women’s fertility.

Although there is a need for further research as the underlying cause remains unknown, the research team suggests females who are in their reproductive years should still consider these risks relating to women’s fertility, heavy work, and increased stress during the non-day shift.

"Our study suggests that women who are planning pregnancy should be cognizant of the potential negative impacts that non-day shift and heavy lifting could have on their reproductive health," the study’s lead author Lidia Mínguez-Alarcón explained. While previous research in the OEM journal has already put forward possible links between women’s fertility and physically stressful work, this new study looked into “direct biomarkers” for the body’s fertility, including hormone levels and the number of eggs. These can help identify or develop potential mechanisms for changes relating to women’s fertility.

In this published study, the researchers gathered a sample of 470 women undergoing fertility treatment and made comparisons between their jobs’ schedules/physical demands and their body’s biomarkers that are associated with their reproductive ability. It was found that women’s fertility was reduced among females who did more heavy lifting and moving. They had 14.1 percent fewer mature eggs as well as 8.8 percent fewer total eggs compared to females who did not lift or move heavy objects during work.

Furthermore, a greater reduction of women’s fertility was evident among overweight and obese females as well as those who were over 37 years old. Women who worked during the night or rotating shifts were also linked to a reduced number of mature eggs. While the mechanisms exploring this relationship to reduced women’s fertility are unclear, the researchers aim to further look into how such impact on fertility can be reduced, prevented or improved.

Tags

reproductive health, women's fertility, lifting, women at work, stress, Exercise

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