Non-Cochrane · aetiology · PM41994526
Occupational exposure to inhalational anesthetics and the risk of spontaneous abortion: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Ying Tang, Yuanqing Wang · Frontiers in public health · 2026 · PubMed · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2026.1766912
Findings
13 findings
| Population | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women of reproductive age working in healthcare (nurses, anesthesiologists, dental staff, veterinary staff) | Occupational exposure to inhalational anesthetic gases | Unexposed women or women with lower occupational exposure | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) Occupational (hospital, dental and veterinary workplaces) · Meta-regression: exposure duration (hours), single moderator | Meta-regression coefficient (log OR per hour of exposure) 0.105 GRADE not reported 4 studies |
| Female healthcare workers of reproductive age (nurses, anesthesiologists, dental staff, veterinarians) occupationally exposed to inhalational anesthetics | Occupational exposure to inhalational anesthetics (e.g., nitrous oxide, halogenated agents) | Unexposed or lower-exposure female workers | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) Healthcare workplaces (operating rooms, dental clinics, veterinary practice, wards) · Sensitivity: leave-one-out, Lauwerys 1981 omitted | OR 1.42 GRADE not reported 16 studies |
| Women of reproductive age working in healthcare (nurses, anesthesiologists, dental staff, veterinary staff) | Occupational exposure to inhalational anesthetic gases | Unexposed women or women with lower occupational exposure | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) Occupational (hospital, dental and veterinary workplaces) · All studies with a region assigned (Fig. 3 overall) | OR 1.19 [0.85, 1.67] GRADE not reported 14 studies |
| Women of reproductive age working in healthcare (nurses, anesthesiologists, dental staff, veterinary staff) | Occupational exposure to inhalational anesthetic gases | Unexposed women or women with lower occupational exposure | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) Occupational (hospital, dental and veterinary workplaces) · Europe | OR 0.93 [0.47, 1.81] GRADE not reported 7 studies |
| Women of reproductive age working in healthcare (nurses, anesthesiologists, dental staff, veterinary staff) | Occupational exposure to inhalational anesthetic gases | Unexposed women or women with lower occupational exposure | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) Occupational (hospital, dental and veterinary workplaces) · Low or mixed exposure | OR 1.04 [0.59, 1.81] GRADE not reported 7 studies |
| Women of reproductive age working in healthcare (nurses, anesthesiologists, dental staff, veterinary staff) | Occupational exposure to inhalational anesthetic gases | Unexposed women or women with lower occupational exposure | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) Occupational (hospital, dental and veterinary workplaces) · Meta-regression: exposure duration (hours), adjusted for exposure level | Meta-regression coefficient (log OR per hour of exposure) 0.081 GRADE not reported 4 studies |
| Women of reproductive age working in healthcare (nurses, anesthesiologists, dental staff, veterinary staff) | Occupational exposure to inhalational anesthetic gases | Unexposed women or women with lower occupational exposure | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) Occupational (hospital, dental and veterinary workplaces) · High exposure | OR 1.56 [1.22, 2.0] GRADE not reported 10 studies |
| Women of reproductive age working in healthcare (nurses, anesthesiologists, dental staff, veterinary staff) | Occupational exposure to inhalational anesthetic gases | Unexposed women or women with lower occupational exposure | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) Occupational (hospital, dental and veterinary workplaces) · Meta-regression: exposure level, adjusted for exposure duration | Meta-regression coefficient (log OR, high versus low exposure) -0.276 GRADE not reported 4 studies |
| Women of reproductive age working in healthcare (nurses, anesthesiologists, dental staff, veterinary staff) | Occupational exposure to inhalational anesthetic gases | Unexposed women or women with lower occupational exposure | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) Occupational (hospital, dental and veterinary workplaces) | OR 1.29 [0.96, 1.75] GRADE not reported 17 studies |
| Women of reproductive age working in healthcare (nurses, anesthesiologists, dental staff, veterinary staff) | Occupational exposure to inhalational anesthetic gases | Unexposed women or women with lower occupational exposure | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) Occupational (hospital, dental and veterinary workplaces) · Asia | OR 1.11 [0.83, 1.49] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Female healthcare workers of reproductive age (nurses, anesthesiologists, dental staff, veterinarians) occupationally exposed to inhalational anesthetics | Occupational exposure to inhalational anesthetics (e.g., nitrous oxide, halogenated agents) | Unexposed or lower-exposure female workers | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) Healthcare workplaces (operating rooms, dental clinics, veterinary practice, wards) · Sensitivity: leave-one-out, Olika 2022 omitted | OR 1.22 GRADE not reported 16 studies |
| Women of reproductive age working in healthcare (nurses, anesthesiologists, dental staff, veterinary staff) | Occupational exposure to inhalational anesthetic gases | Unexposed women or women with lower occupational exposure | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) Occupational (hospital, dental and veterinary workplaces) · North America | OR 1.64 [1.04, 2.57] GRADE not reported 5 studies |
| Women of reproductive age working in healthcare (nurses, anesthesiologists, dental staff, veterinary staff) | Occupational exposure to inhalational anesthetic gases | Unexposed women or women with lower occupational exposure | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) Occupational (hospital, dental and veterinary workplaces) · Leave-one-out sensitivity analysis, overall estimate | OR 1.29 [0.95, 1.74] GRADE not reported 17 studies |
Included primary studies 17
Open in Studies| Study | Year | Also included by | Outcomes it informs here | Trial data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allweiler 2013 Inhalation anesthetics and the reproductive risk associated with occupational exposure among women working in veterinary anesthesia. PMID:23387328 | 2013 | this review only | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) | not extracted yet |
| Axelsson 1982 Exposure to anaesthetic gases and spontaneous abortion: response bias in a postal questionnaire study. PMID:7129739 | 1982 | this review only | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) | not extracted yet |
| Axelsson 1996 Shift work, nitrous oxide exposure, and spontaneous abortion among Swedish midwives. PMID:8758031 | 1996 | this review only | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) | not extracted yet |
| Cohen 1971 Anesthesia, pregnancy, and miscarriage: a study of operating room nurses and anesthetists. PMID:5114397 | 1971 | this review only | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) | not extracted yet |
| Cohen 1980 Occupational disease in dentistry and chronic exposure to trace anesthetic gases. PMID:6930434 | 1980 | this review only | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) | not extracted yet |
| Eftimova 2017 Health Effects Associated With Exposure to Anesthetic Gas Nitrous Oxide-N2O in Clinical Hospital - Shtip Personel. PMID:29104694 | 2017 | this review only | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) | not extracted yet |
| Guirguis 1990 Health effects associated with exposure to anaesthetic gases in Ontario hospital personnel. PMID:2383519 | 1990 | this review only | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) | not extracted yet |
| Heidam 1984 Spontaneous abortions among dental assistants, factory workers, painters, and gardening workers: a follow up study. PMID:6747515 | 1984 | this review only | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) | not extracted yet |
| Hemminki 1985 Spontaneous abortions and malformations in the offspring of nurses exposed to anaesthetic gases, cytostatic drugs, and other potential… PMID:3925060 | 1985 | this review only | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) | not extracted yet |
| Izadi 2024 Reproductive outcomes among female health care workers. PMID:38229075 | 2024 | this review only | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) | not extracted yet |
| Lauwerys 1981 Anaesthetic health hazards among Belgian nurses and physicians. PMID:7263082 | 1981 | this review only | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) | not extracted yet |
| Lawson 2016 Occupational exposures among nurses and risk of spontaneous abortion. PMID:22304790 | 2012 | this review only | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) | not extracted yet |
| Nagella 2015 Anaesthesia practice and reproductive outcomes: Facts unveiled. PMID:27053794 | 2016 | this review only | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) | not extracted yet |
| Olika 2022 Effect of Inhalational Anesthetics Exposure on Reproductive Outcomes and Its Predictors Among Healthcare Personnel in Jimma Zone Public… PMID:36387326 | 2022 | this review only | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) | not extracted yet |
| Rowland 1995 Nitrous oxide and spontaneous abortion in female dental assistants. PMID:7900720 | 1995 | this review only | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) | not extracted yet |
| Saurel-Cubizolles 1994 Work in operating rooms and pregnancy outcome among nurses. PMID:7843833 | 1994 | this review only | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) | not extracted yet |
| Shirangi 2008 Maternal occupational exposures and risk of spontaneous abortion in veterinary practice. PMID:18388114 | 2008 | this review only | Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) | not extracted yet |
Review question
| Element | Planned (methods) | Found (results) |
|---|---|---|
| Population | Women of reproductive age with documented occupational exposure to inhalational anesthetics (nurses, anesthesiologists, dentists, veterinarians) | Female healthcare workers (operating room and ward nurses, anesthesiologists, dental assistants, veterinarians, midwives) |
| Intervention | Occupational exposure to inhalational anesthetics | Occupational exposure to inhalational anesthetics (nitrous oxide, halogenated agents or unspecified anesthetic gases) |
| Comparison | Unexposed women or women with lower occupational exposure | Unexposed or lower-exposure workers |
| Outcomes | Spontaneous abortion or miscarriage | Spontaneous abortion (n=17 studies) |
| Study designs | Observational studies (cohort, case-control, cross-sectional); randomized controlled trials when applicable; English or Chinese | 17 observational studies (cohort, case-control, cross-sectional, retrospective surveys), 1971-2024 |
| Timing | Not specified | Not specified |