Introduction:
Stress is feeling physical or emotional tension. For example, various changes occur during pregnancy, in family, life, and the body that might make a pregnant woman feel angry, nervous, or frustrated. Feeling stressed for short bursts during pregnancy is normal and very common. But when stress lasts for an extended period, it may harm the health of both mother and the fetus.
How Does Stress Affect Pregnancy?
High-stress levels can cause various health problems like heart disease and high blood pressure. Stress also increases the chances of having a baby born before 37 weeks of pregnancy (premature baby) and low birth weight in the baby.
What Are the Causative Factors of Stress During Pregnancy?
Some of the most commonly seen causes of stress during pregnancy are:
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Discomfort that occurs in pregnancy, like constipation, back pain, and morning sickness.
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Hormonal changes cause mood swings which make it hard to handle stress.
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Worrying about delivery and how to take care of the baby.
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Worrying about how eating, drinking, and hormonal changes affect the baby.
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If the pregnant person is working, job-related stress can happen.
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Interpersonal relationships.
What Are the Types of Stress That Can Affect Pregnancy?
Stress is not always bad; it can help take on new challenges when handled the right way. However, certain severe degrees of stress increase pregnancy problems. Some of them are:
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Natural calamities like hurricanes or earthquakes.
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Adverse life events include serious illness, family death, home loss, or divorce.
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Long-lasting stress factors include homelessness, abuse, or monetary problems.
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Some women can get seriously stressed about their pregnancy. Stress may be related to worries about the baby’s health, pregnancy loss, becoming a parent, and coping with labor and birth.
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Having depression or anxiety. Depression is a condition that affects the way a person feels, acts, or thinks. It causes sadness, makes the person lose interest in the things they like to do, and also interferes with daily life. Anxiety is a condition that makes a person worry too much and fear things that may happen in the future. Both these conditions make it hard for a pregnant person. Depression and anxiety are treatable. Therefore pregnant individuals talk to the health care provider in case they feel depressed or anxious.
How Does Stress Cause Pregnancy Problems?
Stress-related hormones play a role in causing specific pregnancy complications. For example, severe or long-lasting stress affects the immune system making the pregnant individual prone to infections. As a result, infections can cause premature birth. Other ways stress can cause problems in pregnancy are:
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Problems in eating, like eating too much or not eating enough, can make the person underweight or overweight during pregnancy. This, in turn, increases the risk of preterm labor and gestational diabetes.
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Stress can increase blood pressure during pregnancy. This puts the person at risk of a high blood pressure condition called preeclampsia. Preeclampsia can lead to premature birth and low birth weight of the infant.
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Stress affects the way a person responds to certain situations. Some women deal with stress by drinking alcohol, taking drugs, or smoking cigarettes, leading to serious health issues in both the mother and the baby.
How Does Stress in Pregnant Mothers Increase the Newborn’s Aging?
Certain studies show that a mother’s stress levels before giving birth can increase the child’s biological aging by affecting the length of a baby’s telomeres. Telomeres are small distinctive structures at the end of our chromosomes that act as protective caps. A telomere is a sequence of DNA and is a marker of biological aging. Telomeres undergo shortening with every cell replication up to a specific limit, after which the cell arrests and enters into a state of senescence (a cell loses its power to divide and grow). Telomerase is an intracellular ribonucleoprotein that helps elongate and maintain the telomeres. The telomere plays a vital role in the cell cycle throughout the lifespan. It is also important in dividing tissues (parts of the hippocampus, bone, and blood) that must be renewed throughout life. This complex aging system regulates the lifespan of cells and their senescence.
In the sense of telomeres, aging is a living phenomenon that happens even before birth. Age-related diseases usually occur in old age, but the aging process at cellular levels is lifelong. In utero, stress exposure affects the fetus by accelerating cellular aging in the form of telomere attrition (weakening). Stress activates metabolic activity and inflammation in very high amounts, damaging the DNA. Telomeres are more prone to damage, and if left unrepaired before the cell division, they can become shortened due to damage. Short telomere length causes advanced chronological age and increases risks for numerous health issues (morbidity) and early death (mortality). Higher maternal stress in the third trimester of pregnancy showed shorter buccal telomere length of the child, but postpartum stress was not associated with the buccal telomere length.
How Can You Reduce Stress During Pregnancy?
Some ways to reduce stress during pregnancy are:
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Discomforts that occur during pregnancy are just temporary and can be discussed with the doctor on how to handle discomfort easily.
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Exercises, adequate sleep, and eating healthy foods are some of the ways to reduce stress and prevent common discomforts during pregnancy. Before attempting any exercise, always seek and discuss it with the consulting doctor.
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Activities that provide stress relief and relaxation, like meditation or prenatal yoga, can help with stress and prepare the pregnant woman for labor and birth.
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A good support system like family, partners, and friends can help reduce stress.
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Figure out the reason behind stress and talk with a partner, friends, family, or healthcare provider.
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In case of depression or anxiety-like symptoms, the healthcare provider must be informed. Early detection and treatment are essential for both the mother’s and baby’s health.
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Counseling and therapy sessions with a clinical psychologist or therapist will also help.
Conclusion:
Pregnancy is a life-changing event; sometimes, it is natural to feel overwhelmed or stressed. Short bursts of stress are fine, but prolonged periods can harm the mother and fetus’s health. One such change that happens is the increased biological aging of the child. It is, therefore, essential to inform the healthcare provider and take the necessary steps to prevent prolonged periods of stress.