Impact of maternal emotional state during pregnancy on fetal heart rate variability.
Compr. Psychoneuroend. 14:100181 (2023)
BACKGROUND: The fetal autonomic nervous system (ANS) is believed to be negatively affected by maternal adverse emotional states. In this study, we evaluated how depression, anxiety and stress during pregnancy are related to fetal heart rate variability (HRV) as recorded with magnetocardiography (MCG). We also considered metabolic factors such as maternal adiposity and circulating levels of cortisol during gestation. Furthermore, we followed up these fetuses after birth, recording HRV and saliva levels of cortisol in these infants to establish any effects postpartum. METHODS: We calculated HRV in spontaneous MCG recordings from 32 healthy fetuses between 32 and 38 weeks of gestational age. Maternal emotional state was assessed using standardized questionnaires about anxiety, depression and stress. An overall indicator of maternal well-being was calculated by z-scoring each individual questionnaire and summation. We used a median split to divide the group into high and low z-scores (HZS and LZS), respectively. Standard HRV measures were determined in the time and frequency domain. T-test analyses were performed between LZS and HZS, with the HRV and the metabolic measures as the dependent variables. RESULTS: We found an impaired HRV in the HZS group both during pregnancy and after birth. No differences were observed between LZS and HZS for metabolic factors. Depression and anxiety symptoms seem to affect HRV differently. No relationship was found between maternal and infant cortisol levels. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of our results on different HRV parameters, we propose that maternal emotional state might affect the development of the fetal nervous system in utero.
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Publikationstyp
Artikel: Journalartikel
Dokumenttyp
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel
Typ der Hochschulschrift
Herausgeber
Schlagwörter
Fetal Autonomous Nervous System ; Fetal Heart Rate Variability ; Fetal Magnetocardiography ; Maternal Emotional State ; Maternal Stress; Gestational Weight-gain; Body-mass Index; Prenatal Stress; Mental-health; Psychosocial Stress; Depression; Anxiety; Cortisol; Cytokines; Symptoms
Keywords plus
Sprache
englisch
Veröffentlichungsjahr
2023
Prepublished im Jahr
0
HGF-Berichtsjahr
2023
ISSN (print) / ISBN
2666-4976
e-ISSN
2666-4976
ISBN
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Konferenztitel
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Band: 14,
Heft: ,
Seiten: ,
Artikelnummer: 100181
Supplement: ,
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Verlag
Elsevier
Verlagsort
Radarweg 29, 1043 Nx Amsterdam, Netherlands
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0000-00-00
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Gutachter
Prüfer
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0000-00-00
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0000-00-00
Anmelder/Inhaber
weitere Inhaber
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Begutachtungsstatus
Peer reviewed
POF Topic(s)
90000 - German Center for Diabetes Research
Forschungsfeld(er)
Helmholtz Diabetes Center
PSP-Element(e)
G-502400-001
Förderungen
Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Ministry of Science, Research and Arts of Baden-Wurttemberg
Copyright
Erfassungsdatum
2023-10-06