Pregnant women at work: rest periods to prevent preterm birth?

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

The aim of this study is to identify social preventive measures in an attempt to prevent pre-term birth in pregnant women who work under strenuous conditions. A study carried out in 50 factories allowed us to gather data on 1168 pregnancies that occurred during 1 year and to study the modifications in working conditions now granted to pregnant women in many firms in France. We observed a significant relationship between 'episodes of sick leave' prescribed especially for fatigue (without any pathological reason) and a lower preterm birth rate. The potential benefit of rest-periods, granted to pregnant women working in strenuous conditions, is discussed.