Relationships Between Leptin, hCG, Cortisol, and Psychosocial Stress and Nausea and Vomiting Throughout Pregnancy

Abstract

The purposes of this prospective, longitudinal study were to examine the relationships between leptin, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), cortisol, and psychosocial stress and nausea and vomiting (NV) in women with mild-to-moderate NV throughout pregnancy. Participants comprised 91 pregnant women recruited from prenatal clinics in southern Taiwan. Data analysis using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that leptin, hCG, cortisol levels, and Index of Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching (INVR) scores, but not stress (measured with the Visual Analog Scale, VAS) scores, were significantly different among the three trimesters. The average INVR score and hCG level decreased from the first to third trimesters (p< .0001 for both). The average leptin and cortisol levels increased from the first to third trimesters (p = .001 and p < .0001, respectively). Analysis using mixed models indicated that the INVR scores decreased significantly in a progressive manner through the stages of pregnancy and were significantly lower in the second and third trimesters. Findings reveal that stress/VAS and hCG may both be significantly and independently associated with INVR scores. Future research should examine psychosocial reactions in addition to exploring other biochemical markers related to NV and stress.

Circadian cortisol dynamics across reproductive stages and in relation to breastfeeding in the Philippines

“…During pregnancy maternal cortisol, an end‐product of HPA‐axis activation, crosses the placenta and plays an important role in fetal development (Wadhwa, ). Studies of cortisol change during pregnancy generally report that the hormone rises continuously across gestation (Allolio et al, ; Glynn et al, ; Jung et al, ; Kuo, Yang, Wang, Chan, & Chou, ; Nolten, Lindheimer, Rueckert, Oparil, & Ehrlich, ), a pattern that has also been reported in pregnancies of captive gorillas and chimpanzees (Smith et al, ). While changes across gestation are most dramatic for total cortisol, the unbound, bioactive fraction of the hormone has also been shown to increase (Burke & Roulet, ; Jung et al, ; Scott, McGarrigle, & Lachelin, ).…”

The relation of visfatin with nausea and vomiting in the pregnancy

“…The sample size was determined according to the Kuo et al . study,[ 10 ] and the following formula with S1 = 6.58, S2 = 3.57, d = 2.6, β = 0.1, and α = 0.05 estimated 87 people which with 15% loss rate increased to 100 people by considering the fall. The sample size formula is as follows:…”

Immunological Methods for Nursing Research: From Cells to Systems

“…They have also employed IHC to assess cell responses in tissues harvested from animal models of human disease processes (Briones, Suh, Hattar, & Wadowska, 2005). Using ELISA techniques, nurse scientists have quantified biomarkers in biologic fluids and then correlated these quantities with subject responses to questionnaire-type instruments that assess pathophysiologic human conditions (e.g., depression, stress, and postpartum fatigue; Groër et al, 2005; Kuo, Yang, Wang, Chan, & Chou, 2010; Thompson et al, 2004). …”