Effects of prenatal stress on pregnancy and human development: mechanisms and pathways
Open accessAbstract
A growing body of research shows that prenatal stress can have significant effects on pregnancy, maternal health and human development across the lifespan. These effects may occur directly through the influence of prenatal stress-related physiological changes on the developing fetus, or indirectly through the effects of prenatal stress on maternal health and pregnancy outcome which, in turn, affect infant health and development. Animal and human studies suggest that activation of the maternal stress response and resulting changes in endocrine and inflammatory activity play a role in the aetiology of these effects. Ongoing research is focusing on clarifying these mechanisms, understanding the role of racial and cultural factors in these effects, and examining the epigenetic and transgenerational influences of prenatal stress.
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The prevalence of maternal psychosocial distress is connected to daily life events and environmental hardships.
“The prevalence of maternal psychosocial distress has been connected to both daily life events and environmental hardships [7, 8].”
From Brain structural and functional outcomes in the offspring of women experiencing psychological distress during pregnancy (2024) · cites this paper as [7]
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- Authors
- Coussons-Read, M. E.
- Affiliations
- The University of Colorado, Colarado Springs and The Colorado School of Public Health, 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80918, USA
- Venue
- Obstetric Medicine
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2013-06
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 52-57
- ISSN
- 1753-495X (ISSN-L)
- 1753-4968
- PMC
- PMC5052760
- OpenAlex
- W2168380813
- Cited by
- 422
- References
- 72
- Citations by year
- 2026: 68 · 2025: 72 · 2024: 78 · 2023: 58 · 2022: 51 · 2021: 42 · 2020: 35 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 0.14
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Obstetric Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Birth, Development, and Health
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Keywords
- prenatal stress, pregnancy outcomes, fetal development, maternal health, infant health, maternal stress response, endocrine changes, inflammation, epigenetics, transgenerational effects, lifespan development
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