A new study revealed that stress during pregnancy may cause babies to have low birth weights. University of California researchers discovered that pre-pregnancy factors such as a woman’s biological profile and cortisol levels associated with stress are warning signs. Cortisol regulates how the body responds to stress, and cortisol levels may spike by two to fourfold during pregnancy. But when levels stretch beyond that range, there’s a potential for short and long-term effects, according to a report in Tech Times.
Study lead and author Christine Guardino said, “We found that the same cortisol pattern that has been linked with chronic stress is associated with delivering a baby that weighs less at birth.” And co-lead researcher Chris Dunkel Schetter adds that a mother who has elevated cortisol levels during pregnancy could also signal issues with stress later in life.
Former studies have already confirmed that stress hormones affect the growth and development of babies, but this recent study is the first to suggest that the mother’s stress levels and physiology also correlate to a baby’s birth weight. These findings provide a litmus test for women who are intending to conceive and plan for parenthood.
“Improving pre-conception health can profoundly improve our overall health,” says Schetter. It’s advisable that women should be proactive in managing stress and treating depression before having a baby.
The Community Child Health Network study involved 142 women who submitted saliva samples and thereafter became pregnant. Scientists discerned that finances, relationships within the family circle, and neighborhood concerns contributed to various stress levels. Severe or traumatic life events were also noted.
Stress levels were examined by analyzing the subject’s body mass index, blood pressure, and cortisol levels found in the saliva. Interviews with the mother and father were also administered. Researchers are a conducting a subsequent study on children between 3 to 5 years of age.
The original study was published in the journal Health Psychology.