Conducting Research Studies have been conducted  in order to explore the way that prenatal stress impacts the fetus and its development.  The stress of the mothers was assessed using self-questionnaires like the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)Saboory E., Rabiepoor S., Abedi M. (2020). “Prenatal stress and infants’ development: association with cortisol and leptin levels in cord blood and saliva.” Physiology and Pharmacology. 24, 54-62. URL Jahnke J., Teran E., Murgueitio F., Cabrera H., Thompson A. (2021). “Maternal stress, placental 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2, and infant HPA axis development in humans: Psychosocial and physiological pathways.” Placenta. 104, 179-187. URL and the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ8). While focusing on the stress of the mothers during the pregnancy, researchers also focused on the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis (HPA axis) which is a set of glucocorticoid feedback interactions through the mother to the placenta and then to the fetus. Focusing on the HPA axis allowes researchers to see in what way prenatal stress impacts the fetus development.     Prenatal stress and gender differences in hormones Pups that underwent prenatal stress showed lower plasma testosterone when compared to the control pups. This is caused by the disruption of prenatal development which did not allow the complete masculinization of the prenatally stressed pups’ central nervous system. Particularly in the striatum of the prenatally stressed male pups showed an increase in vanilmandelic acid, dopamine, serotonin, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid which all can affect sexual behavior. The prenatally stressed male pups showed a significant latency in mounting behavior when compared to controls. When doing the radial arm maze task prenatally stressed male rats showed a greater increase in dopamine than the prenatally stressed females, which is suggested to facilitate the impairment for the males doing the maze task, but improved the female’s performance. There was also an effect on the corticosterone secretion for prenatally stressed females. Being prenatally stressed increased the anxiety response of the female rats. Yet, it had no effect on the males. Sexually dimorphic brain regions Prenatal stress  does have an effect on brain sexual differentiation after measuring the volume of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area of both female and males in the control and stressed groups. Prenatal stress inhibits the masculinization of the male brain by inhibiting the growth of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area.  Prenatal stress and mindfulness-based interventions Prenatal stress and negative mood during pregnancy has been shown to increase the risk for poor childbirth outcomes and postnatal maternal mood problems. Additionally, prenatal distress can interfere with the mother-infant attachment and child development outcomes. Despite the clear association between prenatal stress and child outcomes, frequently women do not receive screening, prevention, or treatment for mood or stress concerns. Given the relationship between prenatal stress and child outcomes, it is essential to examine interventions that aim to reduce anxiety, depression, and stress during pregnancy. Mindfulness-based stress reduction has been demonstrated to reduce anxiety and depression for people with stress-related and chronic medical conditions. One pilot study shows promise for the potential of a mindfulness-based intervention to reduce negative affect and anxiety of women during pregnancy. Based out of the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, investigators Dr. Cassandra Vieten and Dr. John Astin conducted a wait-list control pilot study that tested a group-based mindfulness intervention. There were 31 women enrolled in the study: 13 women were assigned to the intervention and 18 women were assigned to the control group. Measures of anxiety, negative affect, positive affect, depression, mindfulness, perceived stress, and affect regulation were taken before intervention or control was assigned and after the intervention or control was completed. Measures were repeated at a follow-up visit 3 months after the intervention or control was completed. The investigators found a significant decrease in anxiety (p<.05) and negative affect (p <.04) in women who completed the mindfulness based intervention, but not a significant decrease in depression, positive affect, mindfulness, affect regulation, and perceived stress. These results suggest that mindfulness intervention during pregnancy reduce anxiety and negative affect of mothers. This study is a promising start to the potential impact that mindfulness based interventions could have on reducing prenatal stress, and thereby improving child outcomes . Timing of prenatal stress and impact on development A study by Sandman and Davis shows that the timing of prenatal stress is crucial to understanding how prenatal stress affects prenatal and postnatal development. Cortisol is often used to measure stress as it is a hormone that is released during stressful events. If an expectant mother is experiencing a stressful event such as income insecurity or being a teenage mother, cortisol is secreted as a result. However, as demonstrated by Sandman and Davis, the timing of cortisol release can sometimes have a harmful effect on development and sometimes not depending on when in pregnancy stress is experienced. Sandman and Davis studied "125 full- term infants at 3, 6, and 12 months of age" to determine the effects of maternal cortisol timing differences on development. They found that "exposure to elevated concentrations of cortisol early in gestation was associated with a slower rate of development over the 1st year and lower mental development scores at 12 months" and "elevated levels of maternal cortisol late in gestation were associated with accelerated cognitive development and higher scores at 12 months". Overall, cortisol's effects on infant cognitive development are dependent upon the timing of cortisol release .
Conducting Research Studies have been conducted longitudinally in order to explore the way that prenatal stress impacts the fetus and its development. These studies took place over the course of the pregnancy and months after in order to collect the data necessary. The stress of the mothers was assessed using self-questionnaires like the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)Saboory E., Rabiepoor S., Abedi M. (2020). “Prenatal stress and infants’ development: association with cortisol and leptin levels in cord blood and saliva.” Physiology and Pharmacology. 24, 54-62. URL Jahnke J., Teran E., Murgueitio F., Cabrera H., Thompson A. (2021). “Maternal stress, placental 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2, and infant HPA axis development in humans: Psychosocial and physiological pathways.” Placenta. 104, 179-187. URL and the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ8). While focusing on the stress of the mothers during the pregnancy, researchers also focused on the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis (HPA axis) which is a set of glucocorticoid feedback interactions through the mother to the placenta and then to the fetus. Focusing on the HPA axis allowes researchers to see in what way prenatal stress impacts the fetus development. Some research includes studies like McKenna et. al suggesting that the idea of pregnancy can cause an increased risk of psychopathology and these exposures during gestation impacts epigenetics. The mother's usage of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) was observed while the epegentic age of the child was calculated through fetal umbilical cord blood. Saboory et. al found that prenatal psychosocial stress can cause delays in child growth and development through assessing the child's weight, height and head circumference every two months after they were born. They also assessed the child's cognitive development through the use of the Ages and Stages Questionnaite (ASQ). Another study, Brannigan et. al focused on how prenatal stress contributes to personality disorders by looking at children decades later born from mothers who spent time in a mental health clinic in Finland.Brannigan R., Tanskanen A., Huttunen M., Cannon M., Leacy F., Clarke M. (2019). “The role of prenatal stress as a pathway to personality disorder: longitudinal birth cohort study.” The British Journal of Psychiatry. 216, 85-89. URL This research all found negative correlations between prenatal stress and the child's development. Prenatal stress and gender differences in hormones Pups that underwent prenatal stress showed lower plasma testosterone when compared to the control pups. This is caused by the disruption of prenatal development which did not allow the complete masculinization of the prenatally stressed pups’ central nervous system. Particularly in the striatum of the prenatally stressed male pups showed an increase in vanilmandelic acid, dopamine, serotonin, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid which all can affect sexual behavior. The prenatally stressed male pups showed a significant latency in mounting behavior when compared to controls. When doing the radial arm maze task prenatally stressed male rats showed a greater increase in dopamine than the prenatally stressed females, which is suggested to facilitate the impairment for the males doing the maze task, but improved the female’s performance. There was also an effect on the corticosterone secretion for prenatally stressed females. Being prenatally stressed increased the anxiety response of the female rats. Yet, it had no effect on the males. Sexually dimorphic brain regions Prenatal stress inhibits the masculinization of the male brain by inhibiting the growth of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area. Prenatal stress does have an effect on brain sexual differentiation after measuring the volume of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area of both female and males in the control and stressed groups. Timing of prenatal stress and impact on development A study by Sandman and Davis shows that the timing of prenatal stress is crucial to understanding how prenatal stress affects prenatal and postnatal development. Cortisol is often used to measure stress as it is a hormone that is released during stressful events. If an expectant mother is experiencing a stressful event such as income insecurity or being a teenage mother, cortisol is secreted as a result. However, as demonstrated by Sandman and Davis, the timing of cortisol release can sometimes have a harmful effect on development and sometimes not depending on when in pregnancy stress is experienced. Sandman and Davis studied "125 full- term infants at 3, 6, and 12 months of age" to determine the effects of maternal cortisol timing differences on development. They found that "exposure to elevated concentrations of cortisol early in gestation was associated with a slower rate of development over the 1st year and lower mental development scores at 12 months" and "elevated levels of maternal cortisol late in gestation were associated with accelerated cognitive development and higher scores at 12 months". Overall, cortisol's effects on infant cognitive development are dependent upon the timing of cortisol release. Prenatal stress and mindfulness-based interventions Prenatal stress and negative mood during pregnancy has been shown to increase the risk for poor childbirth outcomes and postnatal maternal mood problems. Prenatal distress can interfere with the mother-infant attachment and child development outcomes. Despite the clear association between prenatal stress and child outcomes, women do not receive screening, prevention, or treatment for mood or stress concerns. It is essential to examine interventions that aim to reduce anxiety, depression, and stress during pregnancy. Mindfulness-based stress reduction has been demonstrated to reduce anxiety and depression for people with stress-related and chronic medical conditions. One pilot study shows promise for the potential of a mindfulness-based intervention to reduce negative affect and anxiety of women during pregnancy. Based out of the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, investigators Dr. Cassandra Vieten and Dr. John Astin conducted a wait-list control pilot study that tested a group-based mindfulness intervention. There were 31 women enrolled in the study: 13 women were assigned to the intervention and 18 women were assigned to the control group. Measures of anxiety, negative affect, positive affect, depression, mindfulness, perceived stress, and affect regulation were taken before intervention or control was assigned and after the intervention or control was completed. Measures were repeated at a follow-up visit 3 months after the intervention or control was completed. The investigators found a significant decrease in anxiety (p<.05) and negative affect (p <.04) in women who completed the mindfulness based intervention, but not a significant decrease in depression, positive affect, mindfulness, affect regulation, and perceived stress. These results suggest that mindfulness intervention during pregnancy reduce anxiety and negative affect of mothers. This study is a promising start to the potential impact that mindfulness based interventions could have on reducing prenatal stress, and thereby improving child outcomes .
A
longitudinally
A
These studies took place over the course of the pregnancy and months after in order to collect the data necessary.
A
Some research includes studies like McKenna et. al suggesting that the idea of pregnancy can cause an increased risk of psychopathology and these exposures during gestation impacts epigenetics. The mother's usage of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) was observed while the epegentic age of the child was calculated through fetal umbilical cord blood.
A
Saboory et. al found that prenatal psychosocial stress can cause delays in child growth and development through assessing the child's weight, height and head circumference every two months after they were born. They also assessed the child's cognitive development through the use of the Ages and Stages Questionnaite (ASQ).
A
Another study, Brannigan et. al focused on how prenatal stress contributes to personality disorders by looking at children decades later born from mothers who spent time in a mental health clinic in Finland.Brannigan R., Tanskanen A., Huttunen M., Cannon M., Leacy F., Clarke M. (2019). “The role of prenatal stress as a pathway to personality disorder: longitudinal birth cohort study.” The British Journal of Psychiatry. 216, 85-89. URL
A
This research all found negative correlations between prenatal stress and the child's development.
A
inhibits the masculinization of the male brain by inhibiting the growth of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area. Prenatal stress
D
Prenatal stress inhibits the masculinization of the male brain by inhibiting the growth of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area.
A
Timing of prenatal stress and impact on development A study by Sandman and Davis shows that the timing of prenatal stress is crucial to understanding how prenatal stress affects prenatal and postnatal development. Cortisol is often used to measure stress as it is a hormone that is released during stressful events. If an expectant mother is experiencing a stressful event such as income insecurity or being a teenage mother, cortisol is secreted as a result. However, as demonstrated by Sandman and Davis, the timing of cortisol release can sometimes have a harmful effect on development and sometimes not depending on when in pregnancy stress is experienced. Sandman and Davis studied "125 full- term infants at 3, 6, and 12 months of age" to determine the effects of maternal cortisol timing differences on development. They found that "exposure to elevated concentrations of cortisol early in gestation was associated with a slower rate of development over the 1st year and lower mental development scores at 12 months" and "elevated levels of maternal cortisol late in gestation were associated with accelerated cognitive development and higher scores at 12 months". Overall, cortisol's effects on infant cognitive development are dependent upon the timing of cortisol release.
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Additionally, prenatal
Prenatal
D
frequently
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Given the relationship between prenatal stress and child outcomes, it
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D
.
D
Timing of prenatal stress and impact on development A study by Sandman and Davis shows that the timing of prenatal stress is crucial to understanding how prenatal stress affects prenatal and postnatal development. Cortisol is often used to measure stress as it is a hormone that is released during stressful events. If an expectant mother is experiencing a stressful event such as income insecurity or being a teenage mother, cortisol is secreted as a result. However, as demonstrated by Sandman and Davis, the timing of cortisol release can sometimes have a harmful effect on development and sometimes not depending on when in pregnancy stress is experienced. Sandman and Davis studied "125 full- term infants at 3, 6, and 12 months of age" to determine the effects of maternal cortisol timing differences on development. They found that "exposure to elevated concentrations of cortisol early in gestation was associated with a slower rate of development over the 1st year and lower mental development scores at 12 months" and "elevated levels of maternal cortisol late in gestation were associated with accelerated cognitive development and higher scores at 12 months". Overall, cortisol's effects on infant cognitive development are dependent upon the timing of cortisol release