Office employment, work with video display terminals, and course of pregnancy. Reference mothers' experience from a Finnish case-referent study of birth defects. 1988

T Nurminen, and K Kurppa
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland.

In an examination of the possible harmful effects of work in an office environment and the use of a video display terminal (VDT) on the course of pregnancy, the experience of 1,475 reference mothers from a Finnish case-referent study of birth defects was analyzed. The study was based on the national Register of Congenital Malformations, whose data were supplemented with special interviews on mothers' work conditions. The group which worked in an office environment consisted of 239 women, of whom 60 had worked with video display terminals; 805 mothers had not worked in an office. Only mothers who had worked during most of their pregnancy and who had a singleton birth were included; hence 431 women were excluded from the analysis. The information on threatened abortion, length of gestation, birthweight, placental weight, and maternal blood pressure was analyzed. Office work involved no elevated risk of threatened abortion when compared with nonoffice work, and among the VDT users the proportion with symptoms related to an impending early termination of pregnancy was similar to that of other office workers. No unfavorable effects on the length of gestation were observed between the compared groups, and there were no differences in the birthweight of the babies when adjustment was made for gestational age or the other aspects under consideration. Thus the results did not suggest that office employment or work with video display terminals would be harmful for pregnancy.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007231 Infant, Newborn An infant during the first 28 days after birth. Neonate,Newborns,Infants, Newborn,Neonates,Newborn,Newborn Infant,Newborn Infants
D009787 Occupational Medicine Medical specialty concerned with the promotion and maintenance of the physical and mental health of employees in occupational settings. Industrial Medicine,Medicine, Industrial,Medicine, Occupational
D010920 Placenta A highly vascularized mammalian fetal-maternal organ and major site of transport of oxygen, nutrients, and fetal waste products. It includes a fetal portion (CHORIONIC VILLI) derived from TROPHOBLASTS and a maternal portion (DECIDUA) derived from the uterine ENDOMETRIUM. The placenta produces an array of steroid, protein and peptide hormones (PLACENTAL HORMONES). Placentoma, Normal,Placentome,Placentas,Placentomes
D011247 Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH. Gestation,Pregnancies
D011248 Pregnancy Complications Conditions or pathological processes associated with pregnancy. They can occur during or after pregnancy, and range from minor discomforts to serious diseases that require medical interventions. They include diseases in pregnant females, and pregnancies in females with diseases. Adverse Birth Outcomes,Complications, Pregnancy,Adverse Birth Outcome,Birth Outcome, Adverse,Complication, Pregnancy,Outcome, Adverse Birth,Pregnancy Complication
D001724 Birth Weight The mass or quantity of heaviness of an individual at BIRTH. It is expressed by units of pounds or kilograms. Birthweight,Birth Weights,Birthweights,Weight, Birth,Weights, Birth
D001794 Blood Pressure PRESSURE of the BLOOD on the ARTERIES and other BLOOD VESSELS. Systolic Pressure,Diastolic Pressure,Pulse Pressure,Pressure, Blood,Pressure, Diastolic,Pressure, Pulse,Pressure, Systolic,Pressures, Systolic
D003199 Computer Systems Systems composed of a computer or computers, peripheral equipment, such as disks, printers, and terminals, and telecommunications capabilities. Computer Architecture,Computer System,Computer Systems Development,Computer Systems Evaluation,Computer Systems Organization,Real Time System,Real-Time Systems,Organization, Computer Systems,Architecture, Computer,Architectures, Computer,Computer Architectures,Computer Systems Evaluations,Development, Computer Systems,Evaluation, Computer Systems,Evaluations, Computer Systems,Real Time Systems,Real-Time System,System, Computer,System, Real Time,System, Real-Time,Systems, Computer,Systems, Real Time,Systems, Real-Time,Time System, Real,Time Systems, Real
D005260 Female Females
D005387 Finland A country in northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia. The capital is Helsinki. Aland Islands,Ă…land Islands

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