女性怀孕期间压力过大会导致流产

During early pregnancy, miscarriage may be more likely among women with high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, according to a study published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences %26#46;

Maternal stress is often considered a risk factor for miscarriage, yet data supporting this association are lacking, noted lead author Dr%26#46; Pablo A%26#46; Nepomnaschy, from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina%26#46;

The NIH team evaluated 61 women aged 18-34 over 12 months in a small community in rural Guatemala, collecting each woman's urine three times a week to check for pregnancy status and levels of cortisol, a stress-linked hormone%26#46;

Over the year, 16 of the women had 22 pregnancies%26#46; Nine pregnancies were carried to term and 13 were lost%26#46; Among the findings:

—Miscarriages were 2%26#46;7 times more likely among women with increased cortisol levels%26#46;

—Miscarriages happened after an average of about two weeks of pregnancy%26#46;

—90 percent of women with high cortisol levels miscarried in the first three weeks of pregnancy%26#46;

—33 percent of women with normal cortisol levels miscarried in the first three weeks of pregnancy%26#46;

Dr%26#46; Nepomnaschy said it's unclear why a boost in cortisol might raise miscarriage risks, but he offered a hypothesis that "the body might interpret that as conditions deteriorating, and maybe that might trigger an abortion mechanism%26#46;"

"Try to provide yourself with what you consider a good environment%26#46; The less stress, the better," he suggested%26#46;

重点词汇

miscarriage n%26#46; 流产 maternal a%26#46; 母亲的，母性的