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Time‐specific effect of prenatal stressful life events on gestational weight gain
Author(s) -
Zhu Peng,
Huang Wen,
Hao JiaHu,
Huang Kun,
Jiang XiaoMin,
Tao FangBiao
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2013.04.007
Subject(s) - medicine , pregnancy , weight gain , gestation , obstetrics , body mass index , confidence interval , fetus , gestational age , body weight , genetics , biology
Objective To investigate the time‐specific effect of maternal exposure to prenatal stressful life events (SLEs) on gestational weight gain (GWG) and to determine whether pre‐pregnancy body mass index (BMI) modifies the effect. Methods Between March and November 2008, data were collected from 1800 pregnant women who received prenatal check‐ups in Hefei, China, after 32 completed weeks of gestation. Participants completed a structured interview on demographic characteristics and a checklist of SLEs during different stages of pregnancy. GWG during pregnancy was determined by self‐reported pre‐pregnancy weight and measured weight at delivery. Results There was a significant dose–response relationship between prenatal SLEs in the first, but not the second or third, trimester and GWG. For each 1‐unit increase in SLEs during the first trimester, there was a reduction in GWG of approximately 0.497 kg (95% confidence interval, 0.176–0.817 kg). After stratification by pre‐pregnancy BMI, a significant negative association between SLEs in the first trimester and GWG was observed among women with pre‐pregnancy normal (β = − 0.796; 95% CI, − 1.291 to − 0.301) and low (β = − 1.066; 95% CI, − 2.180 to − 0.048) weight. Conclusion The effect of prenatal SLEs on GWG depends on the timing of maternal exposure to stress and varies according to pre‐pregnancy BMI.