Physically demanding jobs and shift work linked to lower ability to conceive

A physically demanding job or shift work may lower a woman’s ability to conceive, new research published online in Occupational & Environmental Medicine has suggested. The US study found that heavy lifting at work and evening/night/rotating shift patterns were associated with poorer egg quality. Researchers looked at indicators of ‘ovarian reserve’, like antral follicle count and levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in 473 women attending a fertility clinic. They also examined ovarian response: the number of mature eggs capable of developing into a healthy embryo in 313 of the women who had completed at least one cycle of IVF by…