Occupational Stress Affects Pregnancy Outcome, Low Birth Weight

Family planning is a key component of women's healthcare. While many women do not strategically plan for a pregnancy, there are some who engage in pre-family planning as a way to promote health before, during and after pregnancy. As part of your pre-family planning, you may want to address issues involving health and safety, but also look at the issues that may arise in terms of your employment and work schedule while pregnant.

Statistically, women who are working prior to becoming pregnant often continue to work after becoming pregnant. In fact, nearly 70 percent of all women who work continue to work after becoming pregnant and even continue doing so after the birth of their baby. Even more astonishing is the nearly 50 percent of women who continue to work right until the day of delivery.

If you are planning to continue working during your pregnancy, it is important to considering the occupational risks associated with your employment. While working may actually improve your health and birthing experience, when compared to women who do not work, your environment at work may need to be modified to achieve these types of results. Financial, economic and social factors are important to your decision to continue working but should be weighed against the potential health risks to your infant.

For some pregnant women, there is an increased risk for complications associated with low birth weight. In fact, women who are placed under a great deal of stress, distress or placed in environments where work organization is poor, there is an increased risk for giving birth to a baby with a lower birth weight. In addition, pregnancy risks associated with hypertension and the development of cardiovascular disease may also be complicated.