Pregnancy Complications Because Of Extreme Stress

Pregnancy Complications From Stress

We all know that stress can have a number of side effects on our bodies.  If you are trying to conceive, stress is considered one factor that can affect fertility.

See www.getpregnantover40.com for more pregnancy over 40 articles 

The stress hormone, cortisol can rob the body of progesterone.  If you do become pregnant, stress can affect blood pressure.  In addition, I found an interesting article about how early pregnancy trauma (i.e. exreme stress) can possibly lead to schizophrenia in the child. Read more:

Evidence that maternal stress might be implicated in schizophrenia susceptibility has been mounting, but until now no one knew which part of the pregnancy was important.

Medical records spanning the short but violent Arab-Israeli conflict of 1967 enabled Dolores Malaspina of New York University School of Medicine and colleagues to pin down when the damage was done.

They analysed the medical records of over 88,000 people born in Jerusalem during the '60s and '70s. The researchers found that women whose mothers were in their second month of pregnancy during the war were 4.3 times more likely to develop schizophrenia later in life, and men 1.2 times more likely, than people born during more peaceful times.
from: 
(www.newscientist.com)

Stress In Mother May Pass Cortisol to Baby

Pregnancy Over 40 and Stress

Stress can cause infertility, but if you're already pregnant it can affect your unborn baby. This interview explains some of the mechanisms involved with how stress hormones may be passed on to the fetus.

See Also: Stress, Infertility and Miscarriage (www.getpregnantover40.com) 

 Being pregnant over the age of 40 doesn't have to be stressful, but I found the the healthcare professionals, although well-meaning added to my stress when they kept telling me about all the complications that can occur when you're older and pregnant.

Read more about the affects of stress:

Vivette -  ...we have some evidence that if the mother is stressed, this affects the function of her placenta which usually filters what passes from the mother to child, it is usually a very effective barrier to cortisol, but if she’s anxious more cortisol passes to the child. So, we think that’s part of the mechanism. The placenta’s function is affected and the foetus is exposed to more cortisol and that changes the development of the foetal brain.

Meera - It’s thought that the increase in the amount of cortisol reaching the baby could be perhaps be to do with an enzyme that isn’t functioning quite correctly, is that right?

Vivette - That’s right what we think is happening is that the placenta usually has a very high level of the enzyme that breaks down cortisol and it has been shown in animals, and we are just studying now because we think it’s probably happening in humans, that the enzyme gets what’s called down regulated, it becomes less effective, so the barrier to cortisol becomes weaker, more cortisol goes through the placenta, but we’re studying on that right now. 
from: 

www.thenakedscientists.com