Shifty women ‘less fertile’

SHIFT work and physically demanding jobs have been linked to lowered fertility among women, a new study suggests.

Working outside of normal office hours and hard labour may lower a woman’s ability to conceive, say researchers.

The U.S. boffins’ study examined 473 women at one fertility clinic.

A team of US researchers tested the women’s ovarian reserve – the number of remaining eggs – and their levels of fertility hormones. They found that women with heavy jobs had a lower reserve of eggs, and the difference was even greater among women working shifts.