The relationship between stress and hair cortisol in healthy pregnant women.
OBJECTIVE
Stress has been shown to cause a large range of adverse fetal effects. This pilot study is the first attempt to examine cortisol level in the hair of pregnant women and assess its potential as a biomarker of gestational stress.


METHODS
Twenty-five healthy pregnant women, in whom hair cortisol levels and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) were measured and correlated.


RESULTS
Maternal hair cortisol levels, ranging between 0.06 and 0.23 nmol/g of hair correlated positively and significantly with measures of perceived stress (ranging between 2-22); (Rs=0.47) (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings corroborate recent primate studies with induced stress, and suggest that hair cortisol is a potential biomarker of chronic stress in pregnancy. This new long term biological marker may have important implications in research and clinical practice.
Kalra
Sanjog
S
The Motherisk Program, Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, ON, Canada.
Einarson
Adrienne
A
Karaskov
Tatyana
T
Van Uum
Stan
S
Koren
Gideon
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*
D015415:Biomarkers; D006854:Hydrocortisone