Discrimination during pregnancy may alter circuits in infants’ brains
A team of researchers from Columbia University examined the effects of discrimination and experiences of pregnant mothers on the developing fetus. The study looked at discrimination and acculturation (the process of adapting to a new culture) experiences of predominantly Hispanic pregnant women between the ages of 14 to 19 years old. In a study of 165 women, the researchers looked at self-reported measures of acculturation, discrimination, maternal distress, and socioeconomic status, then performed factor analysis to examine the associations between the above measures. This analysis showed that stresses from discrimination and acculturation have a unique effect on the brain compared to those from other types of stress.
The study found that infants whose mothers experienced acculturation during their pregnancy had similar brain changes. An analysis of 38 mother-infant pairs showed that mothers who experienced discrimination had infants with weaker connections between their amygdala (detects stress) and the prefrontal cortex (regulates reaction to stress), whereas the mothers who experienced acculturation stress had infants with stronger connectivity between the amygdala and the fusiform (functionally-specialized computations of high-level vision like reading and face perception). The lead author of the paper, Marisa Spann at Columbia University, wrote, “A leading hypothesis would be that the connectivity changes that we see could reduce one’s ability to regulate their emotions and increase risk for mental health disorders.”
40 million women face prolonged health issues after childbirth every year
A study published in Lancet Global Health examined the neglect of labor and birth complications that can emerge and persist after giving birth. It notes that this accompanies global health emphasis on reducing maternal mortality, and that it has led to the misconception that post-labor complications are uncommon or unimportant.
Historically, postnatal care services have been limited to six weeks after birth, and the study focused on the medium-term and long-term complications beyond six weeks. The study stated that, “The majority of the approximately 140 million women who give birth globally every year do not have morbidity in the 6 weeks after birth. However, many women, even if they have an uncomplicated vaginal birth without the need for interventions, will have a postpartum complication.”
Children born moderately early are at an increased risk of developmental disorders
A study from University of York shows that children born moderately early — between 32 and 38 weeks — are more likely to have developmental disorders compared to children born at full term. This includes disorders like language delay, cognitive impairment, ADHD, and Cerebral palsy. They found these risks decreased with each week of gestation, though there was still a small increase for those born between 37 and 38 weeks of gestation.
This study reviewed more than 75 studies from around the world that involved over eight million children. For comparison of their findings, they noted that language delay affected 222 per 1,000 children who were born between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy, while only 47 of 1,000 children born at full term have language delays. They also found that those born moderately early are more likely to face low educational attainment in primary school, with a rate of 300 per 1,000 for those born moderately early, but 160 per 1,000 for those born at full term.
The lead author of the study, Dr. Katherine Pettinger, reminded readers that while the “study shows an increase in risk for children born moderately early relative to their peers born at full term, many children will not experience any developmental problems.”
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