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This article explores the potential causes of stress during pregnancy, the effects of prenatal stress, and some coping strategies that may be helpful.

Potential Causes of Prenatal Stress

These are some of the aspects of pregnancy that can be particularly stressful:

Other Causes of Stress

These are some of the other potentialcauses of stress:

What Is Perinatal Depression?

Effects of Prenatal Stress

How Prenatal Stress Can Affect You

These are some of the ways prenatal stress can affect you:

However, it’s important to note that these effects need to be further researched, according to Dr. McMahon, since many of these studies involve small sample sizes. Furthermore, while they often prove association, additional evidence is required to conclusively prove causation.

Care and Support Can Help"Although the risk of adverse outcomes may be increased for people who experience stress during pregnancy, most babies are unaffected and any adverse effects can be lessened through additional support and engagement in care,” says Dr. McMahon.

Care and Support Can Help

“Although the risk of adverse outcomes may be increased for people who experience stress during pregnancy, most babies are unaffected and any adverse effects can be lessened through additional support and engagement in care,” says Dr. McMahon.

Coping With Emotional Stress During Pregnancy

Dr. McMahon suggests some strategies that can help you cope with emotional stress during pregnancy:

How Can I Find Support Groups Near Me?

A Word From Verywell

10 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine.How to reduce stress during pregnancy.Coussons-Read ME.Effects of prenatal stress on pregnancy and human development: mechanisms and pathways.Obstet Med. 2013;6(2):52-57. doi:10.1177/1753495X12473751March of Dimes.Managing stress during pregnancy.American Heart Association.Prenatal stress can program a child’s brain for later health issues.Dunkel Schetter C, Tanner L.Anxiety, depression and stress in pregnancy: implications for mothers, children, research, and practice.Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2012;25(2):141-148. doi:10.1097/YCO.0b013e3283503680Bush NR, Savitz J, Coccia M, et al.Maternal stress during pregnancy predicts infant infectious and noninfectious illness.J Pediatr. 2021;228:117-125.e2. doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.08.041Goldstein JM, Cohen JE, Mareckova K, et al.Impact of prenatal maternal cytokine exposure on sex differences in brain circuitry regulating stress in offspring 45 years later.Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2021;118(15):e2014464118. doi:10.1073/pnas.2014464118Zietlow AL, Nonnenmacher N, Reck C, Ditzen B, Müller M.Emotional stress during pregnancy—associations with maternal anxiety disorders, infant cortisol reactivity, and mother-child interaction at pre-school age.Front Psychol. 2019;10:2179. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02179Goldstein JM, Holsen L, Huang G, et al.Prenatal stress-immune programming of sex differences in comorbidity of depression and obesity/metabolic syndrome.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2016;18(4):425-436. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2016.18.4/jgoldsteinDipietro JA.Maternal stress in pregnancy: considerations for fetal development.J Adolesc Health. 2012;51(2 Suppl):S3-S8. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.04.008

10 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine.How to reduce stress during pregnancy.Coussons-Read ME.Effects of prenatal stress on pregnancy and human development: mechanisms and pathways.Obstet Med. 2013;6(2):52-57. doi:10.1177/1753495X12473751March of Dimes.Managing stress during pregnancy.American Heart Association.Prenatal stress can program a child’s brain for later health issues.Dunkel Schetter C, Tanner L.Anxiety, depression and stress in pregnancy: implications for mothers, children, research, and practice.Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2012;25(2):141-148. doi:10.1097/YCO.0b013e3283503680Bush NR, Savitz J, Coccia M, et al.Maternal stress during pregnancy predicts infant infectious and noninfectious illness.J Pediatr. 2021;228:117-125.e2. doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.08.041Goldstein JM, Cohen JE, Mareckova K, et al.Impact of prenatal maternal cytokine exposure on sex differences in brain circuitry regulating stress in offspring 45 years later.Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2021;118(15):e2014464118. doi:10.1073/pnas.2014464118Zietlow AL, Nonnenmacher N, Reck C, Ditzen B, Müller M.Emotional stress during pregnancy—associations with maternal anxiety disorders, infant cortisol reactivity, and mother-child interaction at pre-school age.Front Psychol. 2019;10:2179. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02179Goldstein JM, Holsen L, Huang G, et al.Prenatal stress-immune programming of sex differences in comorbidity of depression and obesity/metabolic syndrome.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2016;18(4):425-436. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2016.18.4/jgoldsteinDipietro JA.Maternal stress in pregnancy: considerations for fetal development.J Adolesc Health. 2012;51(2 Suppl):S3-S8. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.04.008

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine.How to reduce stress during pregnancy.Coussons-Read ME.Effects of prenatal stress on pregnancy and human development: mechanisms and pathways.Obstet Med. 2013;6(2):52-57. doi:10.1177/1753495X12473751March of Dimes.Managing stress during pregnancy.American Heart Association.Prenatal stress can program a child’s brain for later health issues.Dunkel Schetter C, Tanner L.Anxiety, depression and stress in pregnancy: implications for mothers, children, research, and practice.Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2012;25(2):141-148. doi:10.1097/YCO.0b013e3283503680Bush NR, Savitz J, Coccia M, et al.Maternal stress during pregnancy predicts infant infectious and noninfectious illness.J Pediatr. 2021;228:117-125.e2. doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.08.041Goldstein JM, Cohen JE, Mareckova K, et al.Impact of prenatal maternal cytokine exposure on sex differences in brain circuitry regulating stress in offspring 45 years later.Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2021;118(15):e2014464118. doi:10.1073/pnas.2014464118Zietlow AL, Nonnenmacher N, Reck C, Ditzen B, Müller M.Emotional stress during pregnancy—associations with maternal anxiety disorders, infant cortisol reactivity, and mother-child interaction at pre-school age.Front Psychol. 2019;10:2179. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02179Goldstein JM, Holsen L, Huang G, et al.Prenatal stress-immune programming of sex differences in comorbidity of depression and obesity/metabolic syndrome.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2016;18(4):425-436. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2016.18.4/jgoldsteinDipietro JA.Maternal stress in pregnancy: considerations for fetal development.J Adolesc Health. 2012;51(2 Suppl):S3-S8. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.04.008

Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine.How to reduce stress during pregnancy.

Coussons-Read ME.Effects of prenatal stress on pregnancy and human development: mechanisms and pathways.Obstet Med. 2013;6(2):52-57. doi:10.1177/1753495X12473751

March of Dimes.Managing stress during pregnancy.

American Heart Association.Prenatal stress can program a child’s brain for later health issues.

Dunkel Schetter C, Tanner L.Anxiety, depression and stress in pregnancy: implications for mothers, children, research, and practice.Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2012;25(2):141-148. doi:10.1097/YCO.0b013e3283503680

Bush NR, Savitz J, Coccia M, et al.Maternal stress during pregnancy predicts infant infectious and noninfectious illness.J Pediatr. 2021;228:117-125.e2. doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.08.041

Goldstein JM, Cohen JE, Mareckova K, et al.Impact of prenatal maternal cytokine exposure on sex differences in brain circuitry regulating stress in offspring 45 years later.Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2021;118(15):e2014464118. doi:10.1073/pnas.2014464118

Zietlow AL, Nonnenmacher N, Reck C, Ditzen B, Müller M.Emotional stress during pregnancy—associations with maternal anxiety disorders, infant cortisol reactivity, and mother-child interaction at pre-school age.Front Psychol. 2019;10:2179. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02179

Goldstein JM, Holsen L, Huang G, et al.Prenatal stress-immune programming of sex differences in comorbidity of depression and obesity/metabolic syndrome.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2016;18(4):425-436. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2016.18.4/jgoldstein

Dipietro JA.Maternal stress in pregnancy: considerations for fetal development.J Adolesc Health. 2012;51(2 Suppl):S3-S8. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.04.008

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