Link found between higher risk of early miscarriage and common workplace activity
Warning: This article contains discussion of baby loss which some readers may find distressing.
A new study has linked bending forward at work, walking, and standing a lot in early pregnancy to a higher risk of miscarriage.
The research, which was published on Thursday (18 June), analysed data from 2004 to 2018, which included more than 800,000 pregnancies among 475,312 women in Denmark.
Scientists used a pregnancy-specific job exposure model that combined activity tracker readings and expert evaluations of time spent standing, walking, and bending forward at a 30-degree angle.
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The results found that little over one in 10, or 81,307 pregnancies, ended in miscarriage, linking baby loss to standing, walking, and bending forward.
The study suggests that each additional hour spent bending forward, particularly at a 30-degree angle, carries a 36% higher risk.
Meanwhile, each additional hour spent walking and standing was linked to an 18% higher risk and 3% higher risk, respectively.
It’s important to note that the risk was also greater among women who had been off work in the previous weeks compared to those who had not been absent.
Early miscarriages, which are a loss of the pregnancy before 12 weeks, are estimated to affect between 10% and 20% of pregnancies in the UK.
Researchers have stressed that further studies into the topic are needed, but said the findings, which were published in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine, ‘highlight the importance of including the early pregnancy stage into guidelines for pregnant workers’.
They said: “If the observed effects are true, they support a recommendation to reduce occupational standing, walking, and forward bending during early pregnancy.
“However, given the anticipated residual confounding and uncertainties in the highest exposure levels, our findings may be too restricted.”
The researchers added: “To confirm and refine these findings, replication in similar populations, together with the incorporation of smoking status and other maternal health information, is essential.”
“Additionally, further trend analyses and meta-analyses are necessary to establish exposure–response relationships and identify potential threshold levels.”
In Denmark, there are currently no formal guidelines addressing occupational standing or walking within the first four months of pregnancy, and no guidance regarding forward bending.
The NHS outlines that the signs of early miscarriage can be mistaken for normal symptoms of pregnancy, including vaginal bleeding, stomach pain or cramping, and pregnancy symptoms suddenly stopping.
Experiencing these symptoms doesn’t that you’re definitely having an early miscarriag, but advice says you should speak with your GP, local early pregnancy service or call 111 if you’re concerned.
If you need support and advice following a pregnancy loss, you can contact the Tommy’s team at [email protected]. You can also call them for free on 0800 014 7800, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Madison Burgess