Stressed mothers-to-be 'are putting unborn babies at risk'

Published on Saturday 29 March 2008 19:29

WOMEN who suffer stress during pregnancy are at increased risk of passing on life-threatening diseases to the unborn child and even future generations, according to a study by a Scottish academic.

Increased levels of stress hormone in the mother are passed to the foetus and can cause heart disease and diabetes, Dr Mandy Drake discovered. But the most remarkable suggestion from her groundbreaking research is that the hormones can "flick" a genetic switch that predisposes subsequent generations to the same illnesses.

A recent survey of expectant mothers revealed most suffered stress during pregnancy, typically over money, food, relationships and work issues.

Drake's research was last night met with alarm by parents' groups, who called on employers to make sure they minimised the stress suffered by pregnant workers, many of whom stay in their posts until a few weeks before birth to maximise their maternity leave.

Drake, Medical Research Council fellow at Edinburgh University and a consultant paediatrician, used rats and mice in her experiments, giving them artificial stress hormones and examining the results.

The next research stage will involve looking for links between stress in expectant human mothers and the health of newborns. This could help identify those most at risk.

Drake looked at the effect of cortisol – the stress hormone released as part of the body's "fight or flight" response – on the foetus. A mother who is seriously stressed will produce higher levels of cortisol.

Drake has discovered that if a mother is stressed during pregnancy this can cause health problems such as low birth rate, high blood pressure and diabetes in not just her own babies but her grandchildren. It is thought that high levels of cortisol cross the placenta and alter the way genes function in the developing child, which can in turn affect future offspring.

She said: "If this happens in pregnancy the offspring may be more at risk of low birth weight and developing high blood pressure and heart disease. We are now starting to recognise that this is also being passed down to the next generation. We are seeing the same problems in the grandchildren."