Work environments linked to pregnancy outcomes

New research suggests that workplace culture can influence pregnancy complications. The American Medical Association, citing a report in JAMA, notes that female surgeons who say they have little workplace support face significantly higher rates of complications compared to the partners of their male colleagues. The risk spiked during demanding 60-hour workweeks. “We’ve known this. We should have known this,” says Dr. Nariman Heshmati, MD, an ob-gyn who didn’t take part in the study. He adds that physicians are often required to work for up to 30 hours at a time. “We should be acting on this.”