title: Prenatal maternal stress predicts cord-blood ferritin concentration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relationship between maternal stress in early pregnancy and cord-blood ferritin concentration.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample consisted of 140 pregnant women who lived in a region that was under rocket attack during a military operation (December 2008 to January 2009). Mothers in the stress group (n=63) were in their first trimester during this period. Mothers in the control group (n=77) became pregnant 4-5 months after the attacks ended. Maternal subjective stress was reported retrospectively. Cord-blood ferritin concentration was compared between stress and control groups, and was the dependent variable in a hierarchical multiple regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean cord-blood ferritin concentration was lower in the stress group compared to the control group (145.7±62.0 vs. 169.3±85.4 ng/mL, P<0.05). The cumulative distribution of cord-blood ferritin showed a shift to the left for the stress group. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that maternal subjective stress was a predictor for cord-blood ferritin concentration (hierarchical regression: β=-0.18, P<0.05), especially in the stress group (simple slope analysis: β=-0.32, P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Maternal stress during the first trimester of pregnancy is associated with lower cord-blood ferritin concentration.
authors.forename: Rinat
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Armony-Sivan
authors.forename: Shraga
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aviner
authors.forename: Lutzy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cojocaru
authors.forename: Shlomo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fytlovitch
authors.forename: Dora
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ben-Alon
authors.forename: Anat
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eliassy
authors.forename: Harvey
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Babkoff
authors.forename: Betsy
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lozoff
authors.forename: Eyal
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Anteby
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood*; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000097:blood; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D014857:Warfare; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D005293:Ferritins