Stressful situations in early pregnancy can lead to premature delivery and underweight babies.
Stressful situations in early pregnancy can lead to premature delivery and underweight babies.
Premature birth is the single largest contributing factor in infant deaths in the developing world. Studies have shown that mothers with stressful lives have a higher risk of delivering pre-term and low birth-weight babies.
To evaluate the effects of mother's exposure to stress during different stage of pregnancy on pre-term birth and infant birth-weight, researchers followed 1,800 pregnant Chinese women who delivered after 32 weeks of pregnancy. The participants were surveyed on financial conditions, emotional support, traumatic events and their relationships with their spouses. The questionnaire included questions like - were jobs or fortunes lost, were family members cheated, did the family move, did a family member die or suffer an illness, or was there any fighting or divorce? There were 96 (5 percent) premature births and 55 (3 percent) low birth-weight babies.
It was found that the risk of premature birth increased two-fold in women who were exposed to stress during their first and second trimesters - the first and second 12 weeks, respectively.Low birth-weight was nearly three times more likely if stress happened during the first trimester, compared to if it happened during the second or third trimester.
It was concluded that stress during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, plays an important role in increasing the risk of preterm birth and low birth-weight.
Premature birth is the single largest contributing factor in infant deaths in the developing world. Studies have shown that mothers with stressful lives have a higher risk of delivering pre-term and low birth-weight babies.
To evaluate the effects of mother's exposure to stress during different stage of pregnancy on pre-term birth and infant birth-weight, researchers followed 1,800 pregnant Chinese women who delivered after 32 weeks of pregnancy. The participants were surveyed on financial conditions, emotional support, traumatic events and their relationships with their spouses. The questionnaire included questions like - were jobs or fortunes lost, were family members cheated, did the family move, did a family member die or suffer an illness, or was there any fighting or divorce? There were 96 (5 percent) premature births and 55 (3 percent) low birth-weight babies.
It was found that the risk of premature birth increased two-fold in women who were exposed to stress during their first and second trimesters - the first and second 12 weeks, respectively.Low birth-weight was nearly three times more likely if stress happened during the first trimester, compared to if it happened during the second or third trimester.
It was concluded that stress during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, plays an important role in increasing the risk of preterm birth and low birth-weight.
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