Preconception perceived stress affects glucose levels during pregnancy
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Pregnant women are more likely to have high glucose levels if they report worse psychological stress before conception, according to study findings published in Journal of the Endocrine Society.
“Our results highlight the importance of considering preconception as a sensitive window of stress in relation to cardiovascular health during pregnancy,” Lidia Mínguez-Alarcón, PhD, MPH, BPharm, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said in a press release. “A few ways women can lower their stress levels include being more active, avoiding alcohol and drugs, eating healthy and avoiding isolation.”
Mínguez-Alarcón and colleagues conducted a prospective analysis of data from the Environment and Reproductive Health (EARTH) study. Researchers collected data from 398 women aged 18 to 45 years who were seeking care at the Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center, self-reported preconception perceived stress and had glucose levels measure during pregnancy (median age, 35 years; 83% white). Stress was assessed using the short form of the Perceived Stress Scale. Scores ranged from 0 to 16, with a higher score indicating a higher level of perceived stress. A 1-hour nonfasting 50 g glucose load test was conducted in the late second trimester or early third trimester of pregnancy.
Participants had a median Perceived Stress Scale score of 5 and a median glucose level of 119 mg/dL during pregnancy; 21% had an abnormal glucose level of 140 mg/dL or higher.
Women with higher perceived stress before conception had higher mean glucose levels during pregnancy. When participants were divided into tertiles based on stress level, women in the high stress tertile had a mean glucose of 124 mg/dL compared with a 119 mg/dL glucose level for women in the middle tertile and 115 mg/dL for women in the low stress tertile (P for trend = .007). Women in the highest stress tertile were 13% more likely to have abnormal glucose, and those in the middle tertile were 4% more likely to have abnormal glucose compared with women in the low stress tertile (P for trend = .01).
“We also found that women of higher socioeconomic status had higher levels of preconception stress and blood glucose levels during their pregnancy,” Mínguez-Alarcón told Healio. “Professional women with higher incomes and attained education levels may be employed in demanding, time-intensive jobs and are often also responsible for balancing demands in the workplace with household duties and child care. It has previously been shown that women with a higher education level experience greater levels of job stress. Given that education level is positively associated with salary, it is possible that this explanation applies to women with higher incomes as well.”
Mínguez-Alarcón said future studies could follow women and their offspring to see whether the link between preconception stress and high glucose during pregnancy leads to any adverse outcomes.
Reference:
- Women undergoing fertility treatment who are stressed may have heart health issues during pregnancy. Available at https://www.endocrine.org/news-and-advocacy/news-room/2024/women-undergoing-fertility-treatment-who-are-stressed-may-have-heart-health-issues-during-pregnancy. Published Jan. 4, 2024. Accessed Jan. 4, 2024.
For more information:
Lidia Mínguez-Alarcón, PhD, MPH, BPharm, can be reached at lminguez@hsph.harvard.edu.
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