Nightshift work and irregular menstrual cycle: 8-year follow-up cohort study

Abstract

Background: Irregular menstruation is a major health problem among women, although its association with nightshift work remains controversial.

Aims: To study the association between nightshift work and irregular menstrual cycle among female workers and investigate any differences according to sleep quality, working hours or obesity.

Methods: This study included female workers who underwent health examinations from 2012 to 2019. Nightshift work, working hours, sleep quality and menstrual cycles were assessed using self-administered questionnaires. Irregular menstrual cycle was defined as self-reported irregular or ≥36 days. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by multivariable logistic regression; adjusted hazard ratios (95% CIs) for incident irregular menstrual cycle were calculated by Cox proportional hazard models with time-dependent analysis.

Results: The study participants were 87 147 in the cross-sectional study and 41 516 in the longitudinal study. After adjusting for all covariates in the cross-sectional analyses, the odds ratio for prevalent irregular menstrual cycle among female nightshift workers versus the reference was 1.26 (95% CI 1.2-1.33). In the cohort study, the adjusted hazard ratio for incident irregular menstrual cycle among nightshift workers was 1.95 (95% CI 1.61-2.35) in the period after 6 years. No significant differences were observed among subgroups stratified by sleep quality, working hours or obesity.

Conclusions: Nightshift work is associated with an increased risk of both prevalent and incident irregular menstrual cycle in female workers without significant interactions by sleep quality, working hours or obesity.