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Association Between Infertility and Sickness Presenteeism Among Japanese Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Megumi Kawashima1,2, Tomohisa Nagata1, Kiminori Odagami1
1Department of Occupational Health Practice and Management, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, 1-1, Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka, 807-8555, Japan.
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
|June 8, 2026
Summary
Infertility is linked to increased sickness presenteeism, where employees work while ill, in Japan. Both treated and untreated infertility affected men, while untreated infertility impacted women.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Reproductive Health
- Sociology
Background:
- Sickness presenteeism, working while unwell, negatively impacts productivity and health.
- Infertility affects a significant portion of the working population.
- The relationship between infertility and sickness presenteeism remains under-explored, particularly in Asian contexts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between infertility status and sickness presenteeism.
- To analyze this association among Japanese workers across different infertility categories.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional analysis of the W2S-Ohpm Study data.
- Inclusion of 16,685 Japanese workers aged 20-49 years.
- Categorization of infertility status (no, treated, untreated) and measurement of sickness presenteeism.
- Utilized negative binomial regression to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRRs).
Main Results:
- For men, both treated (IRR=1.96) and untreated infertility (IRR=2.12) were significantly associated with higher sickness presenteeism.
- For women, untreated infertility showed a significant association with increased sickness presenteeism (IRR=1.47).
- These findings highlight a clear link between infertility and working while sick in the Japanese workforce.
Conclusions:
- Infertility status is demonstrably associated with increased sickness presenteeism among Japanese workers.
- This association was observed for both men and women, with specific patterns for treated versus untreated infertility.
- Findings underscore the importance of addressing infertility in occupational health strategies.
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