When stress start before birth

Intrauterine exposure to drugs and medicinal may cause structural and functional development deficits Nutritional deficiency or shortage of specific nutrients during a critical periods may cause permanent alterations of an organ system and lead to diseases in adult age Maternal psychological problems or stress may have possible deleterious programming effects on the foetus Maternal chronobiological problems may have also deleterious programming effects on the foetus leading to adult disease hypertension, insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia and depression. Low birth weight induce subsequent adult hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia underpinned by increased activity of the key hepatic gluconeogenic enzyme, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) Epigenetics of programmed obesity is now demonstreted alteration in IUGR rat hepatic IGF1 mRNA expression and histone structure in rapid vs. delayed postnatal catch-up growth.Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2010 intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) modifies the histone code along the rat hepatic IGF-1 gene. FASEB J. 2009 Aug;23(8):2438-49. The risk of low birth weight becomes 143% higher in cases of separation and divorces in comparison to the group of married or even single mothers (OR:1,5). Mc Intoch LI 1995) Stressful experiences during pregnancy and an increased risk of preterm delivery has been recognized by different studies Plasmatic concentrations of placental CRH are already raised at 15 -20 weeks of pregnancy in women who deliver preterm The effects of fetal programming may not be limited to the first-generation offspring. male offspring of female rats that had been exposed prenatally to dexamethasone, but were not manipulated in their own pregnancy, also had reduced birth weight glucose intolerance, and elevated hepatic PEPCK activity. These effects resolved in a third generation !!! Effect of prenatal stress is dependent on the timing of exposure :different maternal sensitivity at different time and different placental protection at different time Stress during the first 3 months induce congenital defects (Carmichael & Shaw, Hansen et al.) Pre eclampsia, Low birth weight at birth and Preterm delivery but during the third trimester transgenerational effects of posttraumatic stress disorder in babies of mothers exposed to the World Trade Center attacks during pregnancy show a reduced cortisol level.