No potential link between Night Shifts during pregnancy and risk of having small for gestational age babies: BMJ

The study's comprehensive approach included adjusting for variables such as age, body mass index, socioeconomic status, and smoking, aiming to account for potential confounding factors. In addition, the researchers employed quantitative bias analysis and G-estimation to explore the possibility of a healthy worker survivor bias (HWSB).

Notably, G-estimation suggested that if all workers continued to work night shifts throughout their pregnancies, as opposed to exclusively daytime work, there could be a reduced odds ratio (OR) for the association between night work and SGA. This finding hints at a complex interplay between work schedules and pregnancy outcomes that warrants further investigation.

This study brings reassuring news for healthcare workers who engage in night shifts during their pregnancies. It found no increased risk of delivering small for gestational age babies, a condition associated with various health concerns. Further research may shed more light on the subtle relationships between work schedules and pregnancy outcomes. 

Source:

Begtrup, L. M., Sejbaek, C. S., Flachs, E. M., Garde, A. H., Specht, I. O., Hansen, J., Kolstad, H. A., Bonde, J. P. E., & Hammer, P. E. C. (2023). Night work during pregnancy and small for gestational age: a Danish nationwide register-based cohort study. In Occupational and Environmental Medicine (p. oemed-2023-108981). BMJ. https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2023-108981