If you are a workaholic woman or if you lift things too much, you might struggle to get pregnant, according to a new study.
The results of the study showed that heavy work, both in terms of physical strain and long hours, appeared to have a detrimental impact on female nurses’ ability to get pregnant, said lead author Audrey Gaskins of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Fox News reported.
In the study, Gaskins and other researchers reviewed data on women, who were least 33 years old and at some point had said that they were trying to conceive.
About 44% were overweight or obese and 22% were current or former smokers.
While 16% of them had rotating shifts at different times, majority of them worked exclusively days or nights.
About one third of the women were on their feet for at least eight hours a day, and 40% reported lifting heavy loads up to five times a daily.
According to the researchers, heavy lifting was linked to a 33% longer timeline to conception and overweight and obese women had a prominent impact of heavy lifting.
The researchers explained that it was possible that certain working conditions might make pregnancy more likely, and it was also possible that women who struggle to get pregnant may choose to work longer hours.
