Late-Night Shifts Impact Fertility and Increase Chances of Miscarriage in Women

Late-night shifts and irregular job patterns could result in serious health problems for women, including sub fertility and miscarriages, a latest study reveals.

The study lead, Dr Linden Stocker from the University of Southampton, did a meta-analysis of previous studies published between 1969 and Jan 2013.

An analysis of over 119,345 women showed that 33 percent of those who worked in irregular shifts had menstrual problems and 80 percent of women had increased rate of subfertility. It also found an increased rate of miscarriages among women who worked late night.

The investigators said, " our findings have implications for women attempting to become pregnant, as well as for their employers."

"If our results are confirmed by other studies, there may be implications for shift workers and their reproductive plans. More friendly shift patterns with less impact on circadian rhythm could be adopted where practical - although the optimal shift pattern required to maximise reproductive potential is yet to be established," the researchers wrote in the study.

The researcher was quick to point that they have established the outcomes of working in changing late night shifts but the causation of the results have not been established.

The researcher said that women who work in shifts suffer from sleep deprivation and their natural body clock is affected.  Scientists have found it difficult to study the long-term effects of the changing sleep patterns in humans. But this study established that these women adopted poor sleep hygiene and activity levels that did not match their sleep habits, which in turn affected their health.