Maternal anxiety during pregnancy affect the baby's immune system
 |
| Illustration of pregnant women anxious. © Shutterstock.com / Gladskikh Tatiana |
Mothers who experience excessive anxiety weakening effect on the immune system when the baby is six months old, according to a study published in the journal Brain, behavior, and Immunity.
"We found that the anxiety experienced by the mother during pregnancy may decrease the effectiveness of immunization in children at the age of six months," said researcher Tom O'Connor, a professor from the University of Rochester Medical Center, as reported by Fox News.
This conclusion is obtained after the researchers observed 210 pregnant women aged 20-34 years. They were asked to report the level of anxiety they experienced during the eight to 32 weeks of pregnancy. Researchers also examined saliva samples from the pregnant women to measure stress hormones.
After the researchers gave the hepatitis B vaccine in infants after they are born, at the age of three months and six months. At the age of six months babies begin to show the difference. Those who have mothers with high levels of anxiety showed an immune system response is lower.
Researchers have calculated other factors such as obesity of the mother during pregnancy, pregnancy complications, and mode of delivery. Even so, the effect on the baby's anxiety began to disappear when the child is getting complete immunization dose.
0 comments:
Post a Comment