Studies on occupational health and environmental factors and their influence on pregnancy and foetus development are scarce in South Africa.

The NIOH has embarked on a study aimed at describing adverse pregnancy outcomes related to informal employment, where women are often exposed to pesticides in their gardens and fields, and to livestock that have been dipped. Education about pesticides and their effect on pregnancy are of special importance in this focus area.

The following projects are classified under this focus area:

• Female reproductive health by occupation, social class, urbanisation, maternal risk factors and pesticide exposure – On-Going
• Time to pregnancy in a South African community – On-Going