Want to conceive a Baby? Join Daytime Work, Says Study

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Women working night shifts can find it hard to conceive. The physical stress caused by staying awake throughout the night can affect a woman's fertility. Experts reveal.

Inconsistent work patterns and night shift work can be linked to low birth rate, according to Harvard medical school investigations. It is also found out women who do tough and demanding physical jobs also like heavy lifting can have difficulties in conceiving.

The core problem is that night shift workers have fewer "mature" eggs ready to develop into an embryo than those who work daytime hours. 24 percent of the reduction in mature eggs was counted in shift workers according to Independent.

The researchers evaluate that the hormone levels fluctuate because of the sleep-wake cycle of the body and extra physical exertion at work. 473 women of age 35 on average, who were receiving fertility treatment, participated in the study. Among these women, the night shift workers had 34 percent fewer "mature" eggs, reports Daily Mail.

Mature eggs are prepared by a natural body process. An egg has 46 chromosomes which must be 23 to make an egg mature, ready to form an embryo. A woman's body releases a surge of hormones every month to mature a certain number of eggs. But if this hormone release is interfered by any obstacle, not enough eggs are matured. Eventually, the chance of conceiving a baby is reduced.

Many lifestyle factors like inadequate sunlight or doing tough physical jobs etc. interfere with the normal hormone cycle and job. The study is published in the Occupational & Environmental Medicine journal. The experts found that women working in daylight release 9.3 mature eggs every month but night shift workers produced 24 percent fewer eggs - 7.0 mature eggs only.

In the case of women doing no heavier manual job, the mature egg count was 9.7 while women doing heavier weight lifting jobs it was 8.3 - 14 percent fewer. The reduction delays the conceiving process. Lifestyle patterns have a deep impact on hormones.

Night shifts cause hypertension and physical exertion leads to greater testosterones production which impacts on fertility. So, women trying to conceive must stick to daytime work, especially those who are not getting pregnant in the first year of their trying.