Women's reproductive health at risk from stress

Two new studies into periods and miscarriage have highlighted the dangers posed to younger women in stressful jobs.

Researchers studying nearly 400 female Chinese textile workers found that the rate of dysmenorrhoea (painful periods) among those reporting high stress was 44% - double the rate of 22% for those with low stress. A high proportion of the study group worked shifts and were also exposed to varying levels of noise and dust.

Writing in the December 2004 issue of the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the researchers concluded that: "Stress-reduction programmes aimed at reproductive-age women, especially those with a history of dysmenorrhoea, may be considered as possible preventive strategies to reduce the occurrence of dysmenorrhoea as well as the resulted absenteeism and reduced work productivity."

And stress could also be linked to miscarriages, New Scientist magazine reported last month.

German researchers took blood samples from over 800 women, and found that the 55 women who had miscarried were more likely to have reported stress than those whose pregnancies continued. The 55 were also more likely to have lower levels of the hormone progesterone.

It is believed that hormones such as cortisol, whose levels are raised by stress, suppress the production of progesterone - which is crucial to a healthy pregnancy.

An abstract of the dysmenorrhea research is at oem.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/61/12/1021?etoc

The miscarriage story is reported at www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996644