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Updated: May 10, 2026

Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
Published on: June 13, 2021
Time-specific effect of prenatal stressful life events on gestational weight gain
Peng Zhu1, Wen Huang, Jia-Hu Hao
1Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
Objective:
To investigate the time-specific effect of maternal exposure to prenatal stressful life events (SLEs) on gestational weight gain (GWG) and to determine whether pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) modifies the effect.
Methods:
Between March and November 2008, data were collected from 1800 pregnant women who received prenatal check-ups in Hefei, China, after 32 completed weeks of gestation. Participants completed a structured interview on demographic characteristics and a checklist of SLEs during different stages of pregnancy. GWG during pregnancy was determined by self-reported pre-pregnancy weight and measured weight at delivery.
Results:
There was a significant dose-response relationship between prenatal SLEs in the first, but not the second or third, trimester and GWG. For each 1-unit increase in SLEs during the first trimester, there was a reduction in GWG of approximately 0.497 kg (95% confidence interval, 0.176-0.817 kg). After stratification by pre-pregnancy BMI, a significant negative association between SLEs in the first trimester and GWG was observed among women with pre-pregnancy normal (β=-0.796; 95% CI, -1.291 to -0.301) and low (β=-1.066; 95% CI, -2.180 to -0.048) weight.
Conclusion:
The effect of prenatal SLEs on GWG depends on the timing of maternal exposure to stress and varies according to pre-pregnancy BMI.
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