Newborn infants' hair cortisol levels reflect chronic maternal stress during pregnancy.

ABSTRACT: Cortisol obtained from hair samples represents a retrospective biomarker of chronic stress experienced by the subject in previous months. Although hair cortisol levels have been used to study the relationship between maternal and neonatal stress levels in primates, this has not yet been performed in humans using a longitudinal design and focusing specifically on this association. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine whether a relationship existed between maternal psychological stress and hair cortisol levels during pregnancy and postpartum, and neonatal hair cortisol levels. The sample consisted of 80 pregnant women and their 80 newborn infants. We conducted a longitudinal assessment of hair cortisol levels, psychological stress, anxiety, and depression in the three trim

SUBMITTER: Romero-Gonzalez B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6034834 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature