Latest UK research from the Imperial College London found that children whose mothers were stressed during pregnancy had lower IQs at 18 months. The same infants were also more likely to be anxious and fearful, and suffered higher occurrence of ADHD. Turns out that the stress hormone Cortisol can cross the placenta and flood the amniotic fluid. Stress caused by rows with or violence by a partner was particularly damaging.
Public Health officials in the UK were quick to warn that the research was based on mothers under extreme stress and that other pregnant women `should not be alarmed’ by these findings.
Really??? Should expectant mothers who are under stress not be deeply concerned? Should not each and every one of us, female or male, pregnant or not, be alarmed by the implications to our own health? This research elucidates one more piece in the unfolding puzzle that teaches us scientifically what we already intuitively know: stress exacts a heavy, often irreversible, toll.
