Physical demands of work and health complaints among women working late in pregnancy.

Abstract

Health complaints before, during and after pregnancy were collected from 2251 women in Montreal who had been in paid employment beyond the twenty-seventh week of their first or second pregnancy. Complaints of breathlessness, fatigue, back pain, varicose veins and haemorrhoids increased during pregnancy, the proportion of women reporting these symptoms being greatest in the third trimester. Complaints at this stage were found to be systematically related to job postures and other physical work demands, prolonged periods of standing, particularly with the back bent forward, twisting the trunk and lifting weights all being found troublesome by workers late in their pregnancy. Three months after delivery the level of health complaints had generally returned to that before pregnancy. This was so for all symptoms except varicose veins and haemorrhoids. No relation was found between trouble with haemorroids and the physical demands of work in pregnancy. Problems with varicose veins three months after delivery we...