Stress during pregnancy can affect fetal heart rate.

2003 MAR 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Stress-related changes in a pregnant woman's heart rate and blood pressure, along with chronic anxiety, can affect the heart rate of her developing fetus, a new study has concluded.

Although the study did not report any negative effects on fetal health, the findings confirm that emotion-based changes in a woman's cardiovascular activity can have "real-time" effects on a fetus, say Catherine Monk, PhD, of Columbia University and colleagues.

Previous studies show that stress during pregnancy can increase the risk of low birth weight and premature births, but a growing body of evidence also suggests that pregnancy stress may "reprogram" the fetal environment in ways that affect the baby's behavior and functioning later in life, according to the researchers.

More analysis is needed to determine whether the heart rate effects in the current study "have implications for the child's fetal and long-term health and development," Monk and colleagues said.

The researchers collected data on the heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rate of 32 healthy women in their third trimester before, during and after a short psychological test designed to produce a stress response. Monk and colleagues monitored fetal heart rate simultaneously. The women also completed a questionnaire that measured their everyday levels of anxiety.

Increases ...