title: Second-trimester amniotic fluid corticotropin-releasing hormone and urocortin in relation to maternal stress and fetal growth in human pregnancy.
abstract: This study explored the association between the acute psychobiological stress response, chronic social overload and amniotic fluid corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and urocortin (UCN) in 34 healthy, second-trimester pregnant women undergoing amniocentesis. The study further examined the predictive value of second-trimester amniotic fluid CRH and UCN for fetal growth and neonatal birth outcome. The amniocentesis served as a naturalistic stressor, during which maternal state anxiety and salivary cortisol was measured repeatedly and an aliquot of amniotic fluid was collected. The pregnant women additionally completed a questionnaire on chronic social overload. Fetal growth parameters were obtained at amniocentesis using fetal ultrasound biometry and at birth from medical records. The statistical analyzes revealed that the acute maternal psychobiological stress response was unassociated with the amniotic fluid peptides, but that maternal chronic overload and amniotic CRH were positively correlated. Moreover, amniotic CRH was negatively associated with fetal size at amniocentesis and positively with growth in size from amniocentesis to birth. Hardly any studies have previously explored whether acute maternal psychological stress influences fetoplacental CRH or UCN levels significantly. Our findings suggest that (i) chronic, but not acute maternal stress may affect fetoplacental CRH secretion and that (ii) CRH is complexly involved in fetal growth processes as previously shown in animals.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy , University of Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Pearl
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5494-9228
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: La Marca-Ghaemmaghami
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy , University of Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sara M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Dainese
authors.affiliation: b Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry , Munich , Germany.
authors.forename: Günter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stalla
authors.affiliation: c Department of Psychological Methods, Evaluation and Statistics , University of Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haller
authors.affiliation: d Department of Obstetrics , University Hospital of Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Roland
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7062-5063
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy , University of Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1982-8321
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ehlert
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000649:Amniocentesis; D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D001724:Birth Weight; D049628:Body Size; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal; D054832:Urocortins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D054832:Urocortins; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: CRH; Prenatal stress; fetal growth; psychobiological stress response; salivary cortisol; urocortin