How does mental stress to the mother affect the release of stress hormones in the placenta? The research team tested 34 healthy pregnant women, who took part in amniocentesis within the scope of prenatal diagnostics. Under certain circumstances, however, this increase can also have negative consequences: "An excessive acceleration of growth may occur at the expense of the proper maturation of the organs," says Ulrike Ehlert, psychologist and program coordinator. Animal studies have shown that this hormone can boost the development of the unborn child: Unfavorable growth conditions in the woman lead to an increased release of the hormone, thereby improving the chances of survival in case of a premature birth. As a result, a small amount of this hormone enters the amniotic fluid and fetal metabolism. This mechanism also persists during pregnancy, and the placenta, which supplies the fetus with nutrients, can also emit stress hormone CRH. When stressed, the human body releases hormones to handle the higher stress, such as the so-called corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), which results in an increase in stress hormone cortisol. Stress hormone affects the growth of the fetus In cooperation with the University Hospital Zurich and the Max Planck Institute Munich, researchers of the University of Zurich have discovered that physical stress to the mother can change the metabolism in the placenta and influence the growth of the unborn child. The precise mechanism of how stress affects the baby in the womb is not yet been completely clarified. The feeling of constantly being on edge, always having to take care of everything, not being able to find a balance: If an expectant mother is strongly stressed over a longer period of time, the risk of the unborn child developing a mental or physical illness later in life - such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or cardiovascular disease - increases.
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