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Pregnancy Stress - Types, Causes, and Management

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Before giving birth, a mother's stress levels can increase the child's biological aging by weakening the specific DNA- protein structure of the baby (a baby's telomeres).

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Natasha Bansal

Published At February 2, 2023
Reviewed AtMarch 6, 2023

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:

  • Discomfort that occurs in pregnancy, like constipation, back pain, and morning sickness.

  • Hormonal changes cause mood swings which make it hard to handle stress.

  • Worrying about delivery and how to take care of the baby.

  • Worrying about how eating, drinking, and hormonal changes affect the baby.

  • If the pregnant person is working, job-related stress can happen.

  • 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:

  • Natural calamities like hurricanes or earthquakes.

  • Adverse life events include serious illness, family death, home loss, or divorce.

  • Long-lasting stress factors include homelessness, abuse, or monetary problems.

  • 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.

  • 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:

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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:

  • Discomforts that occur during pregnancy are just temporary and can be discussed with the doctor on how to handle discomfort easily.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • A good support system like family, partners, and friends can help reduce stress.

  • Figure out the reason behind stress and talk with a partner, friends, family, or healthcare provider.

  • 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.

  • 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

1.

What Is the Stress During Pregnancy Known As?

Stress during pregnancy can be known as prenatal stress. Stress may lead to high blood pressure during pregnancy. This puts the women at risk of a serious high blood pressure condition called preeclampsia, preterm birth, and having a low birth weight baby.

2.

Can Stress Lead To Miscarriage?

There is no direct link between stress and a miscarriage. While some studies suggest that stress can increase the risk of miscarriage. As taking stress increases a hormone called cortisol which increases the blood pressure. Increased blood pressure increases the risk of miscarriage.

3.

Is the Unborn Baby Affected by the Mother’s Mood?

Stress-related hormones play a vital role in causing specific pregnancy issues. Severe or long-lasting stress affects the immune system, making pregnant women more prone to infections. It also increases the chances of having a preterm birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy and low birth weight in the baby.

4.

Can Birth Defects Be Caused Due to Stress?

Stress during pregnancy can cause unfortunate consequences for children born under those conditions, such as slower development, learning and attention difficulties, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, and can even cause autism.

5.

Which Signs Indicate Stress During Pregnancy?

Pregnancy discomforts such as trouble while sleeping, body aches, and morning sickness may become even worse with stress. Pregnant women may also face problems while eating, such as not eating enough or eating too much. This can result in being underweight or overweight during pregnancy.

6.

Can Stress Affect the Movement of the Baby?

Some studies suggest that stress in the womb can affect a baby's temperament and neurobehavioral development. Infants whose mothers experienced high levels of stress while pregnant, particularly in the first trimester, show signs of more depression and irritability.

7.

Can Anger Prove Bad While Pregnant?

It is seen that the fetuses of the women with high anger were more active and experienced growth delays of their baby. Hormonal fluctuations and mood swings are the main reasons for anger and stress. The high-anger mothers have high prenatal levels of cortisol and adrenaline.

8.

Why Do I Cry So Much While Being Pregnant?

Mood swings and crying are a normal part of pregnancy, especially in the first trimester as hormones elevate. It also takes some time to absorb the emotional weight of life's big changes, like having a child. A person needs to keep calm during such times.

9.

How to Stay Happy During Pregnancy?

To stay happy during pregnancy, one should-
- Take prenatal vitamins and eat a healthy diet that covers all of the vitamins and nutrients needed.
- Stay Hydrated.
- Get Moving. 
- Rest and Relax.
- Prenatal Care.

10.

Can Fertility Be Damaged by Stress Permanently?

Stress may impact ovulation or implantation for women trying to conceive. However, stress alone does not affect fertility or egg health in the long term. Some women deal with stress by consuming alcohol or drugs, which can harm them more.

11.

Can Babies Feel Their Mother’s Stress?

Stress taken by a mother can be sensed by babies, as per recent studies. It causes changes in the growth of the baby. Infants whose mothers experience high levels of stress in pregnancy, particularly in the first trimester, tend to show signs of more depression and irritability.

12.

Can a Mother Pass Stress to a Baby?

Stress can cause issues in eating, like eating too much or not eating at all, which can make the person underweight or overweight during pregnancy. This results in an increased risk of preterm labor and an increase in the gestational age of the baby.
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Dr. Natasha Bansal
Dr. Natasha Bansal

Obstetrics and Gynecology

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