title: An epidemiological study of reproductive health in female civil aviation employees.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the correlations between occupational risk factors and reproductive health and to provide targeted healthcare services to female civil aviation employees based on surveys about menstrual and reproductive health status.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects were selected from flight attendants working for China Southern Airlines, Air China, and other airlines; employees of China Aviation Oil Limited, China TravelSky, and China Aviation Supplies Holding Company; and airport ground service crews. Data were collected using anonymous questionnaires. A total of 1175 valid questionnaires were recovered. The subjects were categorized into a flight attendant group and a ground service group, which contained 563 and 612 women, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of irregular menstruation, including abnormal cycles, severe dysmenorrhea, and hypomenorrhea or menorrhagia, was significantly higher in the flight attendant group (30.55%) than in the ground service group (13.40%); in concordance, the fertility rate was significantly lower in the flight attendant group (36.59%) than in the ground service group (43.95%). The spontaneous abortion rate in the flight attendant group (6.80%) was significantly higher than in the ground service group (2.97%). The rate of life-threatening abortions, preterm births, and low birth weight was significantly lower in the flight attendant group than in the ground service group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The impact of occupational risk factors on the reproductive health of female aviation workers should be evaluated and examined more thoroughly. Additional healthcare services such as routine menstruation healthcare and policies for workers planning to have a pregnancy are beneficial in monitoring reproductive health, reducing harmful exposures during early pregnancy, and preventing incapacitating gynecologic events.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. yywtwty@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Weiyuan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ada
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Chunling
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Yuren
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiuhua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001359:Aviation; D001723:Birth Rate; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008599:Menstruation Disturbances / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult