Pregnant women who work have increased risk of pre-eclampsia
03 May 2002
Women who work during pregnancy have a higher risk of developing pre-eclampsia than non-workers, Irish research shows.
Some 933 healthy women with normal blood pressure pregnant with their first baby received 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring between 18 and 24 weeks' gestation. Monitoring continued to the end of their pregnancy.
After the researchers adjusted the results for age, smoking, drinking, body-mass index, and marital status, they found the risk of pre-eclampsia increased almost 5-fold in working women, compared to non workers (Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2002;56:389-93).
The researchers also found women who normally worked but chose not to on the day of blood-pressure monitoring had twice the risk of gestational hypertension, compared to non-workers, even though there were no blood pressure differences between this group and non-workers on the day of monitoring.
There was no difference in gestational age, birth weight, caesarean section or induction rate in workers, non-workers, and those choosing not to work on the day.
The researchers said, while women with active jobs had higher 24-hour diastolic blood pressure than women with sedentary jobs, they could not determine which features of work predispose to pre-eclampsia. Also, work status in mid-pregnancy may not reflect work status throughout pregnancy, they noted.
Last Reviewed: 06 May 2002
- Medical Observer Weekly 3/05/02
