Maternal anxiety is associated with impaired blood flow to the fetus

Many women believe that their psychological state during pregnancy affects the development of their baby. Anxiety during pregnancy is known to be associated with small for gestational age babies, but the mechanism is unknown. On p 153 Glover et al investigated whether pregnant women who were anxious had an abnormal uterine artery resistance index. Using colour Doppler ultrasound and a self rating questionnaire in 100 women in their third trimester, the authors found that the most anxious women had impaired uterine blood flow. Of the most anxious clinically important group, 27% of women had an increased resistance compared with 4% in the less anxious group. This suggests a biological mechanism by which the emotional state of the mother might affect the fetus in utero.


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Relevant Article

Association between maternal anxiety in pregnancy and increased uterine artery resistance index: cohort based study

Jerónima M A Teixeira, Nicholas M Fisk, and Vivette Glover
BMJ 1999 318: 153-157. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]