Working conditions and reproductive health among healthcare professionals: Insights from a pilot study

Despite rising awareness of occupational health, preconception health remains overlooked, particularly in demanding healthcare environments. The pilot study aimed to examine the associations between working conditions, workplace-related risks and the reproductive health of nurses and midwives.

A cross-sectional pilot study was conducted in Slovenia in 2022, including 41 participants. Associations between occupational factors and reproductive health outcomes were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Mann-Whitney U test and the likelihood-ratio χ² test (G²), based on Kullback-Leibler divergence.

Findings suggest possible associations between factors such as single shift work, overtime, lifting and work stress and reproductive problems. Discrimination by patients, relatives and colleagues was significantly associated with sexual desire, frequency of sexual activity and general sexual behavior. Among participants, 34.2% reported menstrual problems, 29.2% conception difficulties and 44.7% reproductive diagnoses. Post hoc effect size analysis revealed six large and two medium effect sizes, indicating potential clinical relevance beyond mere statistical significance.

These preliminary findings indicate that certain occupational and psychosocial stressors may be linked to adverse reproductive outcomes among healthcare professionals. Addressing these risks through targeted preventive strategies could help protect the reproductive health of female healthcare professionals, most of whom are of reproductive age.