Shift work and sleep duration are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes in a predominantly Latinx population with high rates of obesity.

BACKGROUND

Shift work has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between sleep disturbances and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

This was a secondary analysis of a prospective study of participants enrolled in a prospective observational study wherein gravidae were screened for sleep apnea (2010-2012). A screening questionnaire with standard sleep apnea questionnaires as well as novel items about shift work and nocturnal sleep duration was administered at a prenatal care visit. Short sleep duration was defined as less than 7 hours. Prolonged sleep duration was defined as greater than 9 hours. In a cohort of 1125 pregnant people, 9.4% reported shift work at the time of screening. Gravidae who reported shift work were more likely than gravidae who reported no shift work to develop preeclampsia (28.3% versus 13.0%, P<0.001), preeclamspsia with severe features (16.0% versus 8.5%, P = 0.010), gestational diabetes (28.3% versus 19.9%, P = 0.041), and a composite of adverse obstetric outcomes (61.3% versus 47.8%, P = 0.008). After adjusting for potentially confounding variables, shift work was associated with an increased risk for preeclampsia with (adjusted relative risk (aRR) 1.70, 95% CI 1.03-2.79, p = 0.036) and without (aRR 2.03, 95% CI 1.43-2.90, p<0.001) severe features, and gestational diabetes mellitus class A1 (aRR 1.47, 95% CI 1.05-2.05, p = 0.023) and class A2 (aRR 1.67, 95% CI 1.13-2.44, p = 0.009). Sleep duration was associated with gestational diabetes (31.3% among those with short sleep duration, 25.2% among those with normal sleep duration and 14.0% among those with prolonged sleep duration, P<0.001) and gestational diabetes class A2 (29.5%, 17.9%, and 10.1%, respectively, P<0.001). Gravidae with prolonged sleep duration experienced less composite adverse pregnancy outcomes at 42.6% compared to 57.4% for those with short sleep duration or 52.5% for those with normal sleep duration, P = 0.002.

CONCLUSIONS

Shift work and sleep duration are both associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Further research on the impact of sleep disturbance on pregnancy outcomes is warranted.