Prenatal effects of maternal nutritional stress and mental health on the fetal movement profile

Abstract

Purpose Prenatal sub-optimal nutrition and exposure to maternal stress, anxiety and depression in pregnancy have been linked to increased postnatal morbidity and mortality. Fetal growth is most vulnerable to maternal dietary deficiencies, such as those evident in hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), early in pregnancy. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the effects of HG on fetal movement profiles as a measure of fetal healthy development in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, and to assess whether nutritional stress on the mother can be evaluated using isotopic analysis of hair. Method We analyzed fetal movement profiles using 4D ultrasound scans at 32-and 36-weeks' gestation. Fetuses of women (N = 6) diagnosed with HG, having lost more than 10% of their body weight in the first trimester of pregnancy were compared to a healthy group (N = 6), controlling for stress, depression and anxiety. We tested carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in maternal hair as a measure of both diet and nutritional changes due to catabolism of body proteins and fats. Results HG and catabolism were significantly correlated (p = 0.02). Furthermore, at 32-weeks' gestation movement profiles of fetuses of mothers with HG differed significantly from the movement profiles of fetuses of healthy mothers. Fetuses of mothers suffering from HG showed a significantly increased ratio of fine-grained movements at 32 weeks (p = 0.008); however, there were no significant differences detectable at 36-weeks' gestation. Conclusion The effect of HG on fetal development as expressed by variations in fetal movement profiles in this pilot study suggest that prenatal effects of HG can be measured using movement profiles. Isotope analysis of hair can supplement this with information on nutritional imbalances early in pregnancy.

Isotopic assessment of diet and infant feeding practices among Ottoman‐period Bedouin from Tell el‐Hesi

“…Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses can also inform infant feeding patterns (Tsutaya & Yoneda, 2015). Nitrogen isotope values from hair among pregnant people have been shown to decrease slightly (0.5‰–1‰; Fuller et al, 2004) when compared to pre‐pregnancy values, although conversely, can increase due to muscle catabolism stemming from nutritional stress or severe morning sickness, resulting in 15 N‐enrichment (Fuller et al, 2005; Reissland et al, 2020). Prior to breastfeeding, fetal bone collagen isotope values are thought to be relatively indistinguishable from that of maternal bone collagen (Katzenberg et al, 1996), although neonatal δ 13 C and δ 15 N values derived from rapidly‐forming tissues such as hair and nails can vary slightly from that of the mother (de Luca et al, 2012; Fuller et al, 2006), likely due to short‐term changes in diet (Beaumont et al, 2015).…”

Flavor Sensing in Utero and Emerging Discriminative Behaviors in the Human Fetus

“…We chose a target sample size of 100 before recruitment to obtain 85% power ( f = .25) for the main comparison, that is, fetal FMs depending on the flavor exposure. Given that a recent study (Reissland et al, 2020) reported a large and significant effect size in fetal movements at 32 weeks, medium and even large effect sizes are not unusual in this type of research. We opted to stop collecting data in the study when we reached a predetermined number of participants.…”

Isotopic reconstruction of short to absent breastfeeding in a 19th century rural Dutch community

“…Other bioarchaeology studies have found high fetal/perinate ẟ 15 N values (relative to adult females) [ 100 , 111 ] and research on modern mother-infant dyads suggests a non-dietary cause related to fetal amino acid metabolism, placental fractionation, and/or maternal nutritional stress [ 58 , 112 – 114 ] [also see 115 ]. The latter seems slight or uncommon in this sample because nutritional stress causes maternal fat stores, depleted in 13 C relative to proteins and carbohydrates, to be used by the fetus causing lower fetal ẟ 13 C values [ 76 , 116 ] which is absent here (the fetal ẟ 13 C mean is 0.3‰ higher than the reproductively-aged Fs which is similar to the 0.4‰ difference in modern paired fetal-maternal samples observed by [ 112 ]).…”