Mom’s Stress During Pregnancy May Harm Baby

Digg

StumbleUpon

Delicious

Mom’s Stress During Pregnancy May Harm Baby

©iStockphoto.com/Emin Kuliyev

Stress during pregnancy may increase baby’s risk of asthma and allergies.

ALLERGIC RESPONSE: A new study suggests that stressed-out expectant mothers may increase their babies’ risk of developing asthma and allergies.

by Hilary Watts
Informify Staff Writer
May 22, 2008

Researchers from Harvard Medical School released their findings Sunday that a mother’s stress during pregnancy might predispose her baby to allergies and asthma. Though more research is necessary to prove the connection, this study suggests that stress is harmful to more than just adults.

Stressed-out Mom=Stressed-out Baby?

Animal studies show that a mother’s stress intensifies the effects of allergens on her developing offspring’s immune system. Researchers from Harvard Medical School in Boston wanted to explore whether the same is true in humans.

The research team studied 315 urban mothers and their infants. The study quantified the mothers’ stress levels related to their:

finances
home lives
health
relationships
community safety

Scientists sampled dust mites from the mothers’ bedrooms. Upon delivery, doctors took measurements from umbilical cord blood samples. Study co-author Dr. Rosalind Wright reported:

Mothers with the highest stress during pregnancy were most likely to give birth to babies with higher levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE)—an antibody in mammals that may indicate allergy.
The same was true even in babies of pregnant women with little exposure to dust mites—common allergens.
The findings were true for women of all races, classes, education levels and smoking histories.

Stress and Allergies at the Cellular Level

Study co-author Junenette Peters explained that stress may weaken the body’s cells to the point that even minimal allergen exposure can cause a reaction and suppress the immune response.

A woman whose immune system is compromised by stress is more likely to pass a weak immune system on to her infant in utero, thus increasing the likelihood that the baby will develop allergies or asthma.

Although researchers aren’t drawing conclusive recommendations from this study, Wright suggested that any stress reduction is good for any mother-to-be.

Sources

Mom's Stress in Pregnancy May Up Baby's Asthma and Allergy Risk (HealthDay, 5/20/08)

Stress in pregnancy raises risks for baby: study (Reuters UK, 5/18/08)

Asthma link to pregnancy stress (BBC News, 5/19/08)

Question for Readers:

Do you find it surprising that a highly stressed expectant mother might transfer some of her stress to her developing fetus?

Childhood Stress Leads to Problems Later On

Dr. Andrea Danese of the University of London analyzed 1,000 New Zealanders from birth to age 32. Her stress study found:

Children who experienced maltreatment—including maternal rejection, harsh discipline or sexual abuse—had twice as much inflammation in their blood as children with low stress.
Many of the stressed children had highly inflamed blood up to 20 years later.
Increased levels of inflammatory markers—like C-reactive protein, fibrinogen and immune cells—in the blood heighten the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes.
Childhood stress from maltreatment may prevent hormones called glucocorticoids from impeding inflammation.
Glucocorticoids unable to do their job later in life could result in depression and other psychiatric problems.
Victims of childhood maltreatment should begin preventative care for common adult diseases as soon as possible.

"There's definitely emerging data that stress in pregnancy can affect the pregnancy in different ways; for example, stress has been linked to growth restriction, decreased bonding, and even preterm delivery. So, it wouldn't be unreasonable to think that it would precipitate a disease that's triggered by stress. …This is a small study that needs to be validated. We really need more numbers to verify this association."

— Dr. Ashlesha Dayal, maternal fetal medicine specialist at Montefiore Medical Center and assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Albert Einstein Medical College in New York City, reacting to Harvard Medical School’s recent study
(Reuters, 5/18/08)

Today's Other Stories

Hi Kara,

I enjoyed reading your comment, which reminds me of the high variability among us humans. I am also thinking, based on my own experience with Celiac disease-a severe autoimmune response to gluten-that being seven isn't a free pass out of the woods.

My mother's stress and depression during her pregnancy with me turned into long-term post-partum depression during the early stages of my life. Still, I appeared to be a perfectly healthy kid who could eat anything and go anywhere during all seasons with no troubles whatsoever, at least until my mid-late teens.

Then, triggered by stress finally kicking in from my parents' divorce when I was ten and high expectations around high school and college (not to mention hormones and who-knows-what-else), I began reacting to almost everything I ate. I was constantly bloated, lethargic, acne-ridden, and often depressed, and I didn't find out until ten years later-four consecutive years of which were devoid of menstrual cycles-that I'd been suffering from Celiac disease. I'd been poisoning myself with wheat, barley, rye and oats, and it took meeting a doctor who'd seen it before to see it in me.

From every angle, I think anything is possible. On one hand, I wouldn't be surprised if your friend's kid is problem-free for the rest of his life, but it also wouldn't shock me if health issues came up for him later in life, whether at 20, 40 or 60. And, even then, no one could say for absolute sure what had caused it!

To me, it seems our organs are intricately connected with each other, and our systems with the world around us, including our mothers' wombs. And with seemingly infinite variability and information to consider, the possibility of knowing anything 100% for sure is so complicated, it's zero.

Thank you for your response and good luck with your new job!

May 25, 2008

As a mother-to-be...

Kara from Denver, CO said:

This story really stressed me out! :)

Seriously though - I think it is only logical to assume that stress is not good for you, whether you are an adult, a child, or even a fetus. However, I am thinking of my friend who became pregnant less than a month after her mother died unexpectedly, was dumped by her boyfriend after she informed him of the pregnancy, and was constantly afraid of losing her job due to an increasingly hostile work environment. Talk about stress! She threw up multiple times every day, could not gain weight, and had 13 ultrasounds because of health concerns and unfavorable test results. Long story short - her son turned out to be perfectly healthy. He is now seven years old and suffers from no allergies.

As I start my new job next week (I was laid off in April), I will take comfort in the knowledge that my stress level alone is not the determining factor.

May 24, 2008

Write your response below to question above

Show/Hide comment form