Working conditions and female reproductive health.

I n this issue of World Journal of Pediatrics, Lin and co-workers report an interesting study on the effect of rotating shift work for female employees on childbearing and infant birth weight (page 129). [1] In their study of female workers in a semiconductor factory, they found a significant lower birth rate among women working shifts compared to women on consisting daytime work. Furthermore, although gestational age of infants was similar, infants born to mothers working shifts had significantly lower birth weight than infants of mothers on consisting daytime work. The study is limited to one workplace only, and there are also other differences between the study groups such as level of education, history of smoking and potential exposure to other chemicals. Nevertheless, the study adds important knowledge to the fact that working conditions have significant effects on female reproductive health as well as on growth and development of the fetus. Factors affecting female reproductive health have been an increasingly important research area. Over the last decade, the human population has crossed a historic, but so far largely unnoticed threshold. Before 1950 fertility rates of 2.1 children per woman, conventionally regarded as replacement level in conditions of low mortality, were virtually unknown. However, as a result of a worldwide decline in fertility rates, almost one-sixth of the world's population is now experiencing fertility rates below 1.5. Such low rates are seen in most of southern and eastern Europe and much of East Asia. [5] More than half of the world's population is now probably living in regions with fertility rates less than replacement level. [4] There are probably a number of reasons for this development. With the increased participation of young and fertile women in the general working life, one of these reasons is defi nitely related to the effect working conditions can have on female health in general and on reproductive health in particular. It is well documented that shift work and sleep deprivation have significant effects on female hormonal status which in turn may be one of the reasons for such health effects. [1,6,7] The present study by Lin and co-workers clearly illustrates this. [1] The general stress of combining family life and household responsibilities with a full time job can also have negative impact on health and daily well being, particularly during pregnancy. What can then be done to secure safe and healthy working conditions for fertile …