Explore Reproductive Health in Female Nurses in Taiwan

There are potential hazards in healthcare settings. According to a study conducted by the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH ) of Taiwan, there were only 38.7% hospitals provided adequate personal protective equipments to expectant nursing staff in those hospitals provided chemotherapy. One Finnish study identified a higher risk of having a baby being small for gestational age (SGA) in nursing staff, compared to babies of other female working groups. Relatively few studies had focused on the occupational reproductive health in Taiwan nurses, despite the majority of such group are in their childbearing years. This study was therefore intended to explore the potential impact of occupational exposures to nurses’ fecundability and birth outcomes. The study population was all female nurses aged from 20~49 years old, from the sixty hospitals of Center of Medical Employee Safety and Health (C-MESH). Data collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Questions include demographic information, employment history, and pregnant history. We analyzed the relationship between occupational exposure and birth outcomes using information given from the first pregnancy of the respondent, and the relationship between occupational exposure and fecundability using information given from the latest pregnancy. Occupational exposure did not significantly affect nurses’ fecundability. However, adverse birth outcomes (prematurity, stillbirth, and spontaneous abortion) were found to be significantly higher in those whose work required to wearing a radiation badge than not (AOR=2.3，95% CI=1.1~4.9，P<0.05；AOR=2.4，95% CI=1.1~5.1，P<0.05). Standing for longer than 7 hours at each shift increased the risk of spontaneous abortion (AOR=2.2，95% CI=1.1~4.1，P<0.05). Exposed to alcohol was also associated with stillbirth (AOR=13.1，95% CI=1.9~59.0，P<0.01). As for other birth outcomes, shift work was found to be highly associated with fetal congenital abnormalities (AOR=2.2，95% CI=1.2~4.5，P<0.05). In addition, exposed to disinfectant fluids at work was also found to be associated with fetal death (stillbirth and spontaneous abortion) (AOR=1.8，95% CI=1.0~3.3，P<0.05). Occupational exposures were not significantly associated with poor fecundability in nurses. However, shift work, required to wearing a radiation badge at work, standing for longer hours (>7), and exposed to disinfectant fluids at work, before and during pregnancy, had negative impacts on birth outcomes. We suggest female nurses who plan to conceive should avoid occupational exposures to the above mentioned working environment.