Strenuous work during pregnancy increases likelihood of too high birth weight

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-11/lu-swd111020.php

 

News Release 10-Nov-2020
First empirical evidence of maternal and fetal health effects of working during pregnancy shows strenuous work increases the likelihood of having a baby with fetal macrosomia by 17% due to potential inadequacies of workplace accommodation laws
Lehigh University

 

For the first time, researchers have attributed an understudied adverse fetal outcome to the strenuousness of an expectant mother's job.

The researchers matched data on maternal and fetal health, as well as job data, from the New Jersey Department of Health with an objective measurement of job strenuousness. They found that women in relatively strenuous jobs have a 17% increase in the likelihood of having a baby with fetal macrosomia. Fetal macrosomia?having a birth weight of over 4,000 grams or 8.8 pounds?is associated with a higher risk of being overweight as an adolescent. The condition is also associated with a higher risk of breast cancer for the mother.


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"Our findings also indicate an understudied link between gestational diabetes, which is a known risk factor for fetal macrosomia, and intensive physical activities at work during pregnancy," said Yang.

Specifically, compared with light-intensity activity, Yang and Dave found that moderate-intensity activity at work during pregnancy is associated with an increase in the likelihood of fetal macrosomia of about 1.5 percentage points or 17%. One possible mechanism underlying this finding, they say, is sleep-deprivation-induced diabetes developed during pregnancy leading to fetal macrosomia. There is some evidence suggesting an adverse effect of strenuous activities at work on sleep quality?and sleep deprivation has been found to correlate with diabetes.

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