Bending a lot at work may raise risk of miscarriage, study finds

Thursday, June 18, 2026

A study of nearly 800,000 pregnancies in Denmark found that spending additional hours bending forward or walking at work during early pregnancy was linked to a higher risk of miscarriage. These findings suggest a need to reexamine workplace health policies for pregnant employees, though further research is required to confirm causality and underlying mechanisms.

A recent study involving nearly half a million Danish women has found that spending extended periods bending forward and walking during early pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of miscarriage. The research analyzed data from 803,829 pregnancies between 2004 and 2018, finding that around 10% ended in miscarriage, a slightly lower rate than typically reported.

Researchers from Bispebjerg Hospital and the University of Copenhagen applied a pregnancy-specific job exposure model that integrated activity tracker data with expert assessments of time spent standing, walking, and bending forward at approximately a 30-degree angle. The study, published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, identified that each additional hour spent bending forward on a workday was linked to a 36% higher risk of miscarriage. Similarly, each extra hour spent walking correlated with an 18% increased risk. Standing was also associated with elevated risk, although findings were less consistent compared to bending.

While the study highlights a potential relationship between occupational postures and miscarriage risk, its observational design means causality cannot be established. Important factors such as smoking during pregnancy were not individually accounted for, which may have influenced the results. The mechanisms underlying the association remain unclear; researchers suggest that physical movements such as forward bending could affect placental blood flow or hormonal regulation, potentially impacting pregnancy viability.

Experts not involved in the study urge caution in interpreting the results. Professor Asma Khalil, a consultant obstetrician and professor of obstetrics and maternal medicine at City St George’s, University of London, noted that the findings do not imply that normal movement in early pregnancy is unsafe. She emphasized that the relationship between occupational postures and miscarriage risk requires further investigation and validation in diverse populations before workplace guidelines can be definitively adjusted.

The authors of the study recommend that early pregnancy stages be considered more carefully within workplace health policies to better protect pregnant workers. However, they acknowledge the need for further research to confirm the findings and to explore other influential factors.