Female vets are twice as likely to suffer miscarriage due to exposure to anaesthetic gases, radiation and pesticides, a study has suggested.
Young women should be warned of the risks if they wish to become pregnant, it said. A total of 1,197 female vets took part in the research, which was published ahead of print in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
They filled in questionnaires as part of the Health Risks of Australian Veterinarians Project (HRAV), which surveyed those graduating from Australian veterinary schools between 1960 and 2000.
The women were asked about exposure in the workplace to anaesthetic gases, radiation in X-rays, pesticides and whether they worked long hours.
The results showed around a two-and-a-half times increased risk of miscarriage in women exposed to anaesthetic gases for more than an hour a week. This was in surgeries that did not use a gas scavenger - designed to suck out anaesthetic gas and protect staff from too much exposure.
Vets who performed more than five X-rays per week also had around an 80% increased risk of miscarriage compared with those who performed five or less. Women who used pesticides at work also had around twice the risk of miscarriage.
The authors, led by Dr Adeleh Shirangi, who now works at Imperial College London, concluded: "Female veterinarians, particularly those of childbearing age, should be fully informed of the possible reproductive effects of unscavenged anaesthetic gases, ionising radiation and pesticide exposure and reduce their exposure by using protective devices when they are planning to become pregnant and during pregnancy."
The study found that while taking X-rays, 56% of women said they physically restrained animals and only one in five used film holders and lead screens to protect themselves.
Of the 940 pregnancies occurring during the women's working life, 764 (81.3%) resulted in a live birth, six (0.6%) were stillbirths, 146 (15.5%) ended in miscarriage and 24 (2.6%) were abortions. The overall crude risk of miscarriage in women in veterinary clinical practice was 16%.
The authors concluded: "The results from this survey and other surveys of veterinarians suggest that there may be a risk."