Working Status of First-Time Postpartum Mothers and Telomere Length—A 1-Year Prospective Study.

Early work reentry among postpartum mothers may negatively impact mothers' mental and physical health and adversely impact telomere length. Understanding the challenges mothers face upon work reentry postpartum may aid in developing policies and programs that support mothers and their families' well-being and help them achieve a better work-life balance. Objective: Transitioning to motherhood can create work family conflicts affecting mothers' health. Although employment is generally associated with longer telomeres, this may diminish during the early years of child-rearing. This study aimed to assess the impact of work reentry on telomere length (TL) among first-time mothers. Methods: In this 1-year prospective study, a total of 103 first-time postpartum mothers participated from two medical institutions in Northern Israel; they completed validated questionnaires, reported their current working status, and provided dried blood spots measuring TL. Results: We found that working status significantly predicted change in TL and was negatively correlated with change in TL over time (β = −0.245; 95% confidence interval, −0.169, −0.018; P = 0.016). Conclusions: Identifying ideal timing of work reentry is recommended for first-time postpartum mother's optimal health and TL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]