One consideration for thinking about the relation between stress and pregnancy is the matter of stress in pregnancy and autism. As we've emphasized elsewhere, stressing about stress is a counter-productive cycle that needs to be avoided. However, knowledge is valuable.
Expecting mothers - and their partners - should be aware of the research giving rise to widespread conclusions that pregnancy stress presents dangers to unborn children, including risks of autism. Again, though, don't stress about stress; keep the big picture in mind.
First, right now the evidence is derived from the study of mice. Mice studies have been an important contributor to understanding human disease. However, it would be a mistake to automatically assume that any finding among mice automatically and immediately translates into human experience.
The always delicate question of relevant proportionality is a case in point. For example, the common enough practice of pumping mice with levels of a toxin which have no relation to disproportional usage commonly practiced by humans is indeed scientifically relevant and valuable. It is not, though, in any way a sound basis from which to predict effects from the more modest human use patterns. Such extrapolation would not be methodologically sound.
So, even when researchers say the mice have been exposed to mild stress, this tells us neither what that stress level was nor how it does (or doesn't) translate to human experience. We shouldn't fill that opening by jumping to conclusions. Especially not conclusions derived from our worst fears.
Keeping those qualifications close at hand, it is true that experimental research has demonstrated in mice the placenta can transmit biochemical effects of stress to the fetus. The key factor here is an enzyme called OGT. Research suggests the OGT is inhibited in the placenta of mice who are subjected to what researchers describe as mild stress.
The stress for the mice was created by exposure to unfamiliar noises and the scent of foxes. It's not made clear why such stress - such as being exposed to threat of a natural predator - would qualify as mild.
Still, while human applicability is complicated by this methodological wrinkle, there is value in observing that at least some level of stress among mice does correlate to significantly reduced OGT levels. These reductions triggered brain alternations for over 370 of the mice's genes.
These changed neurons are critical to neurological development, including regulation of energy use, protein development and nerve cell connections. It appears likely then that OGT helps protect the brain in pregnancy.
Some corroborating evidence is also provided by comparing the expected differential results for male and female fetuses. Male fetuses have a naturally lower OGT level. So, it would be expected, whatever the level of stress sufficient to trigger reduced OGT, the impact upon male fetuses would be expected to be greater than that for girls: the deprivation level would be triggered earlier in males and tend to have worse consequences. This conjecture seems to be confirmed by the higher autism and schizophrenia rates recorded for males.
This is valuable information for you to know. But it should inspire you to take actions to reduce your stress, not get further stressed out! See our suggestions for solutions that work .
Expecting mothers - and their partners - should be aware of the research giving rise to widespread conclusions that pregnancy stress presents dangers to unborn children, including risks of autism. Again, though, don't stress about stress; keep the big picture in mind.
First, right now the evidence is derived from the study of mice. Mice studies have been an important contributor to understanding human disease. However, it would be a mistake to automatically assume that any finding among mice automatically and immediately translates into human experience.
The always delicate question of relevant proportionality is a case in point. For example, the common enough practice of pumping mice with levels of a toxin which have no relation to disproportional usage commonly practiced by humans is indeed scientifically relevant and valuable. It is not, though, in any way a sound basis from which to predict effects from the more modest human use patterns. Such extrapolation would not be methodologically sound.
So, even when researchers say the mice have been exposed to mild stress, this tells us neither what that stress level was nor how it does (or doesn't) translate to human experience. We shouldn't fill that opening by jumping to conclusions. Especially not conclusions derived from our worst fears.
Keeping those qualifications close at hand, it is true that experimental research has demonstrated in mice the placenta can transmit biochemical effects of stress to the fetus. The key factor here is an enzyme called OGT. Research suggests the OGT is inhibited in the placenta of mice who are subjected to what researchers describe as mild stress.
The stress for the mice was created by exposure to unfamiliar noises and the scent of foxes. It's not made clear why such stress - such as being exposed to threat of a natural predator - would qualify as mild.
Still, while human applicability is complicated by this methodological wrinkle, there is value in observing that at least some level of stress among mice does correlate to significantly reduced OGT levels. These reductions triggered brain alternations for over 370 of the mice's genes.
These changed neurons are critical to neurological development, including regulation of energy use, protein development and nerve cell connections. It appears likely then that OGT helps protect the brain in pregnancy.
Some corroborating evidence is also provided by comparing the expected differential results for male and female fetuses. Male fetuses have a naturally lower OGT level. So, it would be expected, whatever the level of stress sufficient to trigger reduced OGT, the impact upon male fetuses would be expected to be greater than that for girls: the deprivation level would be triggered earlier in males and tend to have worse consequences. This conjecture seems to be confirmed by the higher autism and schizophrenia rates recorded for males.
This is valuable information for you to know. But it should inspire you to take actions to reduce your stress, not get further stressed out! See our suggestions for solutions that work .
About the Author:
Pregnant women and their partners who want to keep up on all the relevant news need to follow the Stress and Pregnancy site. Also, for more great information about healthy life-choice, check out the info at our sister project, the Getting Rid of a Headache Without Medicine blog.
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