Close relationship qualities and maternal peripheral inflammation during pregnancy

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Psychoneuroimmunology
• Social Determinants of Health

Background:

• Close relationships influence pregnancy outcomes.
• Mechanisms linking relationships and pregnancy are not fully understood.
• Inflammatory biomarkers are potential mediators.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between the quality of women's close relationships (romantic partner and closest friend/family) and inflammatory biomarkers in the third trimester of pregnancy.

Main Methods:

• 90 pregnant women assessed in second and third trimesters.
• Self-reports on positive/negative aspects of romantic partner (RP) and closest friend/family (CF) relationships.
• Measurement of serum cytokines (IFNγ, IL10, IL6, IL8, IL13) and IL6:IL10 ratio.

Main Results:

• RP relationship quality interacted to predict third trimester cytokine levels.
• RP relationships low in both positive and negative aspects were associated with lower anti-inflammatory/anti-viral cytokines (IL10, IL13, IFNγ) and a higher IL6:IL10 ratio.
• These findings were independent of various demographic and psychological factors; CF relationship aspects showed no association.

Conclusions:

• Romantic relationships characterized by low positive and negative aspects correlate with a pro-inflammatory cytokine profile in late pregnancy.
• These findings highlight the role of relationship dynamics in inflammation during pregnancy, with implications for pregnancy outcomes.