According to the latest research stressed mothers to be are at almost double the risk of stillbirth.

A study from the University of Denmark of almost 20,000 women has revealed that those who are stressed, anxious or lacking self-esteem in the last three months of their pregnancy are more likely to suffer still birth. Animal studies show that the increased risk may be due to raised levels of stress hormones cutting the blood supply to the placenta – and the oxygen supply to the foetus. This research adds to the growing body of research on the effects of stress on pregnancy. Other studies show that stress trebles the risk of miscarriage in the first few weeks of pregnancy and that children from stressed pregnancies are more likely to be hyperactive and have emotional problems as well as suffering from stress themselves.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 1st, 2008 at 4:50 am and is filed under In the News, Pregnancy, Stress. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.