Reproductive history and adverse pregnancy outcomes in commercial flight crew and air traffic control officers in the United kingdom.
OBJECTIVE
To examine reproductive outcomes among flight crew.


METHODS
Ten thousand two hundred five flight crew members and a control group of 2118 air traffic control officers completed a questionnaire in 2001 to 2004, United Kingdom.


RESULTS
Similar proportions of flight crew and air traffic control officers reported having ever had difficulties in conceiving a baby. Risks of miscarriages and congenital malformations among pregnancies fathered by men who did not differ by occupation, but stillbirth risk was higher among flight crew (odds ratio = 2.85; 95% CI = 1.30-6.23). Among pregnancies reported by women, risks of miscarriage and stillbirth did not differ by occupation but risk of congenital malformations was higher among flight crew (odds ratio = 2.37; 95% CI = 0.43-13.06).


CONCLUSIONS
Flight crew-related exposures were not associated with adverse reproductive outcomes except for possible links, based on small numbers, between paternal exposure and stillbirths and maternal exposure and congenital malformations.
Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, England. isabel.silva@lshtm.ac.uk
Isabel
I
dos Santos Silva
Costanza
C
Pizzi
Anthony
A
Evans
Sally
S
Evans
Bianca
B
De Stavola
D000328:Adult; D001359:Aviation; D003132:Commerce; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D017584:Reproductive History; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom