| Cortisol levels in pregnancy as a psychobiological predictor for birth weight. | |
| | |
MedLine Citation:
|
PMID: 20872154 Owner: NLM Status: In-Data-Review |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
|
Antenatal maternal stress is thought to negatively affect fetal development, birth outcomes, and infant's development. Glucocorticoids are suggested to be a common link between prenatal stressors and infant's health. However, data on these mechanisms are rare and sometimes conflicting. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of maternal distress during pregnancy on fetal development and birth weight in humans prospectively. This study focuses on cortisol as one mediating the mechanism of the association between maternal distress and birth outcomes. Pregnancy-related and general distress was measured in 81 women with uncomplicated, singleton pregnancies. The rise of salivary cortisol on awakening (CAR) was assessed in weeks 13-18 and 35-37 postmenstrual age of pregnancy. Mothers completed a structured interview, the perceived stress scale, a widely used psychological instrument that provided a global measure of perceived stress, as well as the Prenatal Distress Questionnaire, a self-report questionnaire designed to assess worries and anxiety in pregnancy. Pre-, peri-, and postnatal medical risk factors as well as birth characteristics were extracted from medical records routinely kept by the attending obstetricians. Hierarchical multiple regressions indicate that maternal cortisol levels explained 19.8% of the variance in birth weight and 9% of the variance in body length at birth, even after controlling for gestational age, parity, pre-pregnancy BMI, smoking, and infant's sex. Newborns of mothers with higher cortisol levels in pregnancy had lower birth weights and were shorter at birth. An ANCOVA for repeated measures indicated that, after controlling for covariates, pregnancy-related as well as general distress in pregnancy did not influence cortisol levels after awakening (area under the curve). No significant associations between perceived stress and anthrometric measures at birth were found. In conclusion, maternal cortisol levels in pregnancy influence intrauterine growth and may be a better predictor for birth outcome than perceived stress. |
| | |
Authors:
|
Margarete I Bolten; Harald Wurmser; Angelika Buske-Kirschbaum; Mechthild Papoušek; Karl-Martin Pirke; Dirk Hellhammer |
Related Documents
:
|
15678514 - Gamma-glutamylcysteine ethyl ester-induced up-regulation of glutathione protects neuron... 16257404 - Glucocorticoids of bison bulls in relation to social status. 22417664 - The benefit of artificial oocyte activation is dependent on the fertilization rate in a... 15028624 - Redox status of the oviduct and cdc2 activity in 2-cell stage embryos in heat-stressed ... 20661884 - Selective intrauterine growth restriction in monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancies. 8813304 - Pregnancies complicated by placenta praevia: what is appropriate management? |
Publication Detail:
|
Type: Journal Article Date: 2010-09-25 |
Journal Detail:
|
Title: Archives of women's mental health Volume: 14 ISSN: 1435-1102 ISO Abbreviation: Arch Womens Ment Health Publication Date: 2011 Feb |
Date Detail:
|
Created Date: 2011-02-02 Completed Date: - Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
|
Nlm Unique ID: 9815663 Medline TA: Arch Womens Ment Health Country: Austria |
Other Details:
|
Languages: eng Pagination: 33-41 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
|
Institute for Psychology, Department of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, University of Basel, Missionsstrasse 64a, 4055, Basel, Switzerland, margarete.bolten@unibas.ch. |
Export Citation:
|
APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
|
|
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document: Risk factors for depressive symptoms during pregnancy.
Next Document: DSM-V: modifying the postpartum-onset specifier to include hypomania.