Hard Work stalls Pregnancy
The decision of becoming a mother is going to mark one of the most beautiful moments in your life, but you should be aware of the consequences of being a workaholic first. Yes, being a workaholic will actually affect the period until you get pregnant.
A new U.S. study reveals that women who are working for more than 40 hours a week or who lift heavy objects will take longer to get pregnant compared to those who do not.
The research was conducted after having observed an approximate number of 1750 nurses who decided to get pregnant and were struggling to achieve it. In the end, approximately 16 percent failed to get pregnant within the first 12 months and around 5 percent still did not conceive two years after having made the decision.
Women who were working more than 40 hours every week took 20 percent longer to conceive when compared to women who were working in between 21 and 40 hours every day. Also, lifting or moving heavy loads (of around 25 pounds) was also linked to delayed conceiving, prolonging it by around 50 percent.
Audrey Gaskins, a Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researcher, explained that what is commonly known as “heavy work” will reduce the ability to get pregnant. Gaskins described this phenomenon as “a detrimental impact” that is the result of either working too much or applying too much physical pressure on the female body every day.
The standard conceiving time for healthy couples is estimated at around three to six months. The process can take longer for older couples or for people with certain medical conditions and those who smoke or drink a lot.
The study was conducted on women who participated in national survey in between 2010 and 2014 and who declared that they wanted to conceive. Around 50 percent of these women’s average age was 33, approximately 44 percent were overweight and 22 percent of them declared that they were either former or current smokers.
There is, however, a much simpler phenomenon that can occur and few people suspect. Courtney Lynch, a reproductive health specialist who was not involved in the research, explains that the delayed pregnancies might occur because of reduced sexual intercourse. Lynch states that these women’s “work demands” practically forbid them from having sexual intercourse.
Lynch advised couples who want to have a baby soon should have sex at least two times a week, and not only on weekends. She also advises women who want to get pregnant to maintain a healthy lifestyle, avoid smoking, drinking and stress.
The importance of this study can outline a very sensitive factor that can affect family lives throughout the world, yet it does not offer a precise result, just a speculation that might or might not be true. Perhaps in the future, with further investigations, medicine will be able to identify whether this is a real issue or not.
Photo Credits feminist.org
