Determinants of cortisol during pregnancy – The ABCD cohort

Abstract

Please cite this article as: Bleker, Laura S., Roseboom, Tessa J., Vrijkotte, Tanja G., Reynolds, Rebecca M., de Rooij, Susanne R., Determinants of Cortisol During Pregnancy − the ABCD Cohort.Psychoneuroendocrinology http://dx.doi.org/10. 1016/j.psyneuen.2017.05.026 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. later adverse health consequences. However, evidence linking maternal stress to maternal cortisol values during pregnancy is inconclusive. A possible explanation for this is that other maternal factors overshadow any potential effects of stress on cortisol levels. We studied a large cohort of pregnant women with extensive data on pregnancy characteristics to determine the respective contributions of biological, environmental and psychosocial stress factors to cortisol levels in pregnancy. Methods:We used data from 3039 women from the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development-study cohort. Serum cortisol was measured in blood, collected at the first prenatal visit, at different gestational ages (median=91 days, range=40-256 days), and at various time points during the day (median=11:45h, range=08:00 -18:30h). We assessed associations between maternal serum cortisol in pregnancy and biological factors, lifestyle factors and stress factors, including depression, anxiety, pregnancy-related anxiety, work stress, parenting stress and fatigue. Results:In multivariable analysis, variables that were associated with higher cortisol levels in pregnancy were lower maternal age [1.5 nmol/l, 95%CI (0.6 to 2. Conclusions: Our data suggest that maternal cortisol during pregnancy is mainly affected by biological and lifestyle factors, but not by psychosocial factors. We suggest that psychosocial stress in Laura S. Bleker 3 pregnancy might program the fetus through other mechanisms than through altering maternal cortisol levels.

Progesterone and Cortisol Levels in Blood and Hair of Wild Pregnant Red Deer (Cervus Elaphus) Hinds

“…A study performed on Italian red deer reported mean values of hair CORT of 5.75 pg/mg in females [20], almost 20 times higher than the mean value obtained in the present study (0.29 pg/mg). Factors influencing cortisol production during pregnancy are extremely variable and partially unknown [35]. What is known is that cortisol increases in the late phase of a pregnancy [23], and that, in cows, parturition in the month preceding sampling increases hair cortisol levels [36].…”

Natural variation in fetal cortisol exposure is associated with neonatal body mass in captive vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops)

“…Empirical data, however, have failed to consistently support the proposed parity–GC relationship. While a number of studies across multiple species have found that lower parity females exhibit higher GCs (humans: Bleker, Roseboom, Vrijkotte, Reynolds, & de Rooij, ; Vleugels, Eling, Rolland, & de Graaf, ; rodents: Pawluski, Charlier, Lieblich, Hammond, & Galea, ; nonhuman primates: Bales, French, Hostetler, & Dietz, ; Dettmer, Rosenberg, Suomi, Meyer, & Novak, ; Hinde et al, ), other studies have found no relationship (humans: Bolten et al, ; nonhuman primates: Altmann, Lynch, Nguyen, Alberts, & Gesquiere, ; Kapoor, Lubach, Hedman, Ziegler, & Coe, ; Nguyen, Gesquiere, Wango, Alberts, & Altmann, ; Starling, Charpentier, Fitzpatrick, Scordato, & Drea, ; other mammals: Metrione & Harder, ).…”

Sleep disordered breathing in pregnancy: A review of the pathophysiology of adverse pregnancy outcomes

“…Additionally, there was no difference in salivary cortisol awakening response comparing those in the lowest and highest quartile of sleep quality. Adequate sleep during pregnancy (median gestational age: 91 days, range: 40‐256), measured by self‐report, was associated with a higher mean serum random cortisol level compared to women with self‐perceived adequate sleep (8.5 nmol/L [95% confidence interval: 0.9‐16.1]) in a Dutch cohort of more than 3000 women . Finally, in a study involving 14 nulliparous women in the second trimester, increased sleep disturbance was associated with blunted cortisol response, as demonstrated by lower cortisol area under the curve, measured during a stressor protocol testing speech and mental arithmacy …”