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Effects of Maternal Cortisol during Pregnancy on Children's Blood Pressure Responses

Fenling Fan1, Yuliang Zou, Yushun Zhang

  • 1Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Medical College, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.

Neuroendocrinology
|July 11, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Maternal cortisol levels and birth weight significantly impact children's blood pressure and heart rate. Higher maternal cortisol, especially in early pregnancy, is linked to altered child hemodynamics, with birth weight potentially mediating these effects.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Endocrinology
  • Cardiovascular Physiology

Background:

  • Birth weight is a known determinant of later blood pressure.
  • Experimental studies suggest altered corticosteroid levels affect cardiovascular responses.
  • This study investigates the combined influence of birth weight and maternal cortisol on child hemodynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the effects of birth weight and maternal cortisol levels on children's cardiovascular measures.
  • To assess resting, stress-induced, and recovery hemodynamic responses in children.
  • To explore the relationship between maternal cortisol during pregnancy and offspring cardiovascular health.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 216 mothers and their 7-9-year-old children was studied.
  • Maternal plasma cortisol was measured across pregnancy trimesters.
  • Children's blood pressure and heart rate were recorded at rest, during stress (video game), and recovery.

Main Results:

  • Maternal cortisol levels increased throughout pregnancy.
  • Lower birth weight correlated inversely with all measured hemodynamic parameters.
  • Maternal cortisol showed positive associations with children's hemodynamics, particularly in the first and second trimesters.
  • Maternal cortisol's influence on child hemodynamics was more consistent than birth weight's in regression analyses.

Conclusions:

  • Both birth weight and maternal cortisol are significant predictors of children's hemodynamic measures.
  • Maternal cortisol during pregnancy influences offspring cardiovascular regulation.
  • Birth weight may act as a partial mediator for the effects of maternal cortisol on child hemodynamics.
Abstract

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