Miscarriage risk rises with prolonged standing, frequent bending at work

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By Olivia Bowthorpe

A study of more than 800,000 pregnancies in Denmark found that prolonged standing and frequent forward bending at work were associated with an increased risk of miscarriage — and the author notes that even modest effects can accumulate substantially across a working day.

Women whose jobs involve prolonged periods of standing, walking or frequent bending may face a higher risk of miscarriage, according to a large Danish study.

The researchers analysed 803,829 pregnancies among working women in Denmark and found that all three activities at work were linked to an increased risk of miscarriage, although the strongest and most consistent association was with forward bending of 30 degrees or more.

The risks associated with forward bending correspond to roughly five additional miscarriages per 100 pregnancies

About one in 10 pregnancies ended in miscarriage, report Dr Hannah Frankel, researcher in public health at the University of Copenhagen, and colleagues in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.