Stress before pregnancy bad for mothers' health, Mass General Brigham study says

BOSTON - A new study finds that stress levels before pregnancy could be detrimental to a woman's health.

Undue stress during pregnancy is not good, but the problem may begin even before a woman conceives.

In general, Americans are experiencing greater levels of stress than just a few years ago, and couples trying to conceive are especially anxious, but what impact does that have on a woman's health? To find out, researchers at Mass General Brigham studied nearly 400 women between the ages of 18 and 45 undergoing fertility treatments and found that those who experienced more stress before they got pregnant had higher blood sugar levels during pregnancy, a predictor of cardiovascular disease.

This was particularly true among women undergoing intrauterine insemination, often referred to as artificial insemination, and among women of higher socioeconomic status, possibly due to higher levels of job stress and difficulty trying to balance life-work demands.

Ways to lower stress before conception include exercising, avoiding alcohol, eating healthy, and maintaining social connections. 

In:
• Health
• Pregnancy

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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