Maternal anxiety in late pregnancy and fetal hemodynamics
Sjöström, Karin LU ; Valentin, Lil LU
; Thelin, Thomas
and Marsal, Karel
LU
(1997)
In European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology
74(2).
p.149-155
- Abstract
- The aim of this study was to investigate if fetal circulation is affected by maternal anxiety. 37 nulliparous women were studied prospectively in the third trimester of pregnancy, with self-rate tests of anxiety (STAI). Doppler ultrasound examination of the umbilical artery and fetal middle cerebral artery was performed at 37-40 gestational weeks. The pulsatility index (PI) was calculated and corrected for heart rate. The women were divided into groups of increasing levels of anxiety. The fetuses of women with high trait anxiety scores had significantly higher PI values in the umbilical artery (p = 0.0056), significantly lower PI values in the fetal middle cerebral artery (p = 0.0029) and significantly lower cerebro-umbilical PI ratios (p... (More)
- The aim of this study was to investigate if fetal circulation is affected by maternal anxiety. 37 nulliparous women were studied prospectively in the third trimester of pregnancy, with self-rate tests of anxiety (STAI). Doppler ultrasound examination of the umbilical artery and fetal middle cerebral artery was performed at 37-40 gestational weeks. The pulsatility index (PI) was calculated and corrected for heart rate. The women were divided into groups of increasing levels of anxiety. The fetuses of women with high trait anxiety scores had significantly higher PI values in the umbilical artery (p = 0.0056), significantly lower PI values in the fetal middle cerebral artery (p = 0.0029) and significantly lower cerebro-umbilical PI ratios (p = 0.0002), suggesting a change in blood distribution in favor of brain circulation in the fetuses. Maternal weight, weight-increase, height, age, marital status, smoking habits, drinking habits and socio-economic factors known to affect fetal well-being did not interfere with these findings. No significant differences in birth-weight, length and head circumference were found between infants born to mothers with higher trait anxiety levels compared to mothers with lower trait anxiety levels. Our results suggest that maternal stress, in terms of trait anxiety, influences fetal cerebral circulation. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1112161
- author
- Sjöström, Karin
LU
; Valentin, Lil
LU
; Thelin, Thomas
and Marsal, Karel
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 1997
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Maternal stress, Maternal anxiety, Fetal cerebral blood flow, Doppler ultrasound, STAI, Pregnancy
- in
- European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology
- volume
- 74
- issue
- 2
- pages
- 149 - 155
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:0343247796
- ISSN
- 0301-2115
- DOI
- 10.1016/S0301-2115(97)00100-0
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- d95c13cc-d389-4de4-b94f-c6dacbb10640 (old id 1112161)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 11:36:38
- date last changed
- 2022-04-20 19:08:29
@article{d95c13cc-d389-4de4-b94f-c6dacbb10640,
abstract = {{The aim of this study was to investigate if fetal circulation is affected by maternal anxiety. 37 nulliparous women were studied prospectively in the third trimester of pregnancy, with self-rate tests of anxiety (STAI). Doppler ultrasound examination of the umbilical artery and fetal middle cerebral artery was performed at 37-40 gestational weeks. The pulsatility index (PI) was calculated and corrected for heart rate. The women were divided into groups of increasing levels of anxiety. The fetuses of women with high trait anxiety scores had significantly higher PI values in the umbilical artery (p = 0.0056), significantly lower PI values in the fetal middle cerebral artery (p = 0.0029) and significantly lower cerebro-umbilical PI ratios (p = 0.0002), suggesting a change in blood distribution in favor of brain circulation in the fetuses. Maternal weight, weight-increase, height, age, marital status, smoking habits, drinking habits and socio-economic factors known to affect fetal well-being did not interfere with these findings. No significant differences in birth-weight, length and head circumference were found between infants born to mothers with higher trait anxiety levels compared to mothers with lower trait anxiety levels. Our results suggest that maternal stress, in terms of trait anxiety, influences fetal cerebral circulation.}},
author = {{Sjöström, Karin and Valentin, Lil and Thelin, Thomas and Marsal, Karel}},
issn = {{0301-2115}},
keywords = {{Maternal stress; Maternal anxiety; Fetal cerebral blood flow; Doppler ultrasound; STAI; Pregnancy}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{2}},
pages = {{149--155}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology}},
title = {{Maternal anxiety in late pregnancy and fetal hemodynamics}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0301-2115(97)00100-0}},
doi = {{10.1016/S0301-2115(97)00100-0}},
volume = {{74}},
year = {{1997}},
}