Stressed pregnant women release a hormone, called cortisol, causing their unborn children to develop attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and heart disease later, according to a Swiss research.
In the study, 34 healthy pregnant women took part. The researchers conducted amniotic fluid tests. The researchers compared the cortisol level in the mother’s saliva with the CRH level in the amniotic fluid and found there was no increased risk of harm to the baby. Nevertheless, the scientists assessed the mothers’ long-term stress levels and found a connection between feeling stressed and raised CRH levels in amniotic fluid.
Researcher Pearl La Marca-Ghaemmaghami of the University of Zurich says: “The corticotropin-releasing hormone CRH obviously plays a complex and dynamic role in the development of the human fetus, which needs to be better understood.”