Sick leave during pregnancy and occupational factors: a systematic review

The reported prevalence of sick leave (SL) during pregnancy is high among European pregnant workers (PW). The causes of SL during pregnancy are complex, and further research is necessary to explain their occurrence.

Summarize the evidence for an association between occupational risks for pregnancy and SL.

A systematic review was conducted by two independent reviewers using PRISMA guidelines. Two databases (Pubmed, Embase) were interrogated between January 1990 and November 2021. The search question integrated key terms according to the PICOS acronym (free terms, MeSH, EMTREE). The quality of the selected studies was assessed according to the Methodological Index for Non-randomized Studies score.

This review assessed 11 epidemiological studies. Overall, the mean Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies score was 11, indicating moderate study quality. The results of the limited number of studies showed limited evidence for associations between psychosocial and physical work-related risk factors and the occurrence of SL among PW. However, this assessment was strengthened by the observation in several studies of a dose-response relationship between the number of occupational risks during pregnancy and SL.

The analysis of this review implicates PW'S exposure to occupational risks in the occurrence of SL. However, the few studies that support this conclusion have provided weak evidence; thus, further research is necessary.