title: Association Between Maternal-Perceived Psychological Stress and Fetal Telomere Length.
abstract: Our study aimed to investigate the association between maternal-perceived psychological stress and fetal telomere length.
  
  
  
  We recruited women in labor upon hospital delivery admission. Based on responses to the Perceived Stress Scale, we categorized participants as having "high," "normal," or "low" perceived stress. We collected umbilical cord blood samples (N = 71) and isolated genomic DNA from cord blood leukocytes using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. We used a ratio of relative telomere length derived by telomere-to-single-copy gene ratio (T/S ratio). We applied analysis of variance and bootstrapping statistical procedures.
  
  
  
  Sixteen (22.5%) women were classified as having low perceived stress, 42 (59.2%) were classified as having normal perceived stress, and 13 (18.3%) were classified as having high perceived stress. Fetal telomere length differed significantly across the three stress groups in a dose-response pattern (T/S ratio of those with low perceived stress was greater than those with normal perceived stress, which was greater than those with high perceived stress [P< 0.05]).
  
  
  
  Our findings support our hypothesis that maternal-perceived psychological stress during pregnancy is associated with shorter fetal telomere length and suggest maternal stress as a possible marker for early intrauterine programming for accelerated chromosomal aging.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Global Health, University of South Florida College of Public Health, and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa.
authors.forename: Hamisu M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Salihu
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Global Health, University of South Florida College of Public Health, and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa.
authors.forename: Lindsey M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: King
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Global Health, University of South Florida College of Public Health, and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa.
authors.forename: Chiaka
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nwoga
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Global Health, University of South Florida College of Public Health, and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa.
authors.forename: Arnut
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paothong
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Global Health, University of South Florida College of Public Health, and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa.
authors.forename: Anupam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pradhan
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Global Health, University of South Florida College of Public Health, and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa.
authors.forename: Phillip J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Marty
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Global Health, University of South Florida College of Public Health, and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa.
authors.forename: Rana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Daas
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Global Health, University of South Florida College of Public Health, and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa.
authors.forename: Valerie E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Whiteman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000523:psychology*; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology