 News
29th May 2008
Pregnancy stress 'almost doubles risk of stillbirth'Stressed
mothers-to-be are at almost double the risk of stillbirth, research shows. A
study of almost 20,000 women revealed that those who were stressed, anxious or
lacked self-esteem in the last weeks of their pregnancy were more likely to suffer
a stillbirth. It is thought that rising levels of hormones in the mother
result in the developing baby being deprived of oxygen. Around 3,500 babies
are stillborn in the UK each year - one in every 200. Researcher Kirsten
Wisborg told New Scientist magazine: 'Thankfully, stillbirth is a rare event.
'But we still do not know what causes it and any clues we find can help
us reduce the risks.' Dr Wisborg, of the Aarhus University Hospital in
Denmark, made the link between stress and stillbirth after tracking the health
of more than 19,000 women during the last three months of pregnancy. Levels
of stress were measured by questioning the women on whether they felt unable to
concentrate or handle problems, had lost self-confidence or felt unhappy or unworthy,
compared with how they felt just a few weeks earlier. A third of the women
scored highly for stress. Monitoring of their pregnancies showed that 0.5
per cent of those in the high-stress group suffered a stillbirth, compared with
around 0.3 per cent of the less stressed women. Importantly, the results
held up even when high blood pressure, premature delivery and other health problems
associated with stillbirth were taken into account. The researchers said
that although the figures were small, the results were significant. Animal
studies suggest the increased risk may be due to raised levels of stress hormones
cutting the blood flow to the placenta - and the oxygen supply to the foetus.
Although the effect is likely to be small, if the baby has any other problems,
stress could 'tip the balance', said Andrew Shennan, an obstetrician at St Thomas's
Hospital in London and spokesman for the baby charity Tommy's. The next
step, he said, is to reduce stress in pregnant women and see if that reduces the
number of stillbirths. Professor Vivette Glover, an expert in stress in
pregnancy from Imperial College London, believes there is no time to be lost.
She said: 'People looking after pregnant women should pay much more attention
to their emotional health and employers should be open to flexible working hours.'
Professor Glover's work has shown that stress during pregnancy may stunt
a child's intelligence. Children from stressed pregnancies are also more
likely to be hyperactive, have emotional problems and not do as they are told
as well as suffering from stress themselves. Stress also trebles the risk
of miscarriage in the first weeks of pregnancy. Where to next?
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