Early Pregnancy Stress Linked to Lasting Impact on Children's Health

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): A pioneering study on wild monkeys has uncovered a profound correlation between high maternal stress hormone levels during early pregnancy and long-term effects on the health of offspring. Researchers at the University of Gottingen and the German Primate Center made a groundbreaking discovery, revealing that stress exposure enhances the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, a crucial component in stress management. This axis is significantly influenced by maternal glucocorticoids during development. The study identified the early phase of organ differentiation in the first half of pregnancy as a critical period, during which maternal stress hormone exposure can have a lasting impact on the development and health of offspring.

According to Oliver Schulke, a scientist involved in the study, "The timing of maternal stress hormone exposure during and after pregnancy plays a crucial role in determining the consequences for the development and health of offspring." The nine-year study, conducted on wild Assamese macaques in Thailand, collected faecal samples from pregnant female monkeys to measure glucocorticoid metabolites. The findings revealed that elevated stress hormones later in pregnancy or after birth did not have the same lasting effects. The study's results demonstrate that the effects of maternal stress on the stress axis of offspring persist from infancy through adolescence and into adulthood, up to nine to 10 years of age.