A new study has found that women who work more than 40 hours per week could have a hard time getting pregnant — and that’s not all.

Those who worked 40-plus hours per week took 20 percent longer to get pregnant, and women who lifted heavy loads often also took longer, according to a Daily Mail report.

A total of 1,739 nurses were followed for the study. Each of them were trying to get pregnant, and about 16 percent failed to conceive within a year, with 5 percent failing to conceive after two years.

The researchers found a link between working more than 40 hours per week and later conception dates. More specifically, women seemed to take 20 percent longer compared to those who worked 40 hours a week or less.

In addition, constantly moving or lifting 25-pound loads several times each day also delayed pregnancy — and by a much worse rate of 50 percent.

It appears that the common thread of these problems is heavy work, which increases physical strain and lengthens hours results in greater stress. This seems to lower the likelihood of conception.

Typically, healthy couples will conceive within three to six months, but not necessarily. Older couples or those who have low fertility due to certain medical conditions and poor diet or smoking habits may take longer.

For this particular study, half of the women were at least 33, and 44 percent of them were overweight, along with 22 percent who smoked either presently or formerly.

There didn’t appear to be any link between the frequency of night shifts in conception.

Why is there a delayed time to conception? It could simply be the case that women who engage in 40+ hour work weeks or who lift heavy objects don’t engage in intercourse as much because of their work demands.