Influence of maternal distress during pregnancy on fetal XXXX .

@entity1 @entity167 @entity2816 @entity4219 @entity600 @entity1467 @entity2008 @entity2419
The aim of the study was to investigate whether emotional stress in a pregnant @entity1 might have an adverse effect in the form of @entity600 on fetal development. The @entity1 of 1,263 @entity1 whose applications for legal abortion in 1960 had been refused were compared with the next @entity1 born in the same delivery wards and paired matched controls were thereby obtained. Results. 1) The incidence of @entity600 according to the criteria established by the Swedish Register of Malformations was 1.8% in the proband series as against 1.1% in the control series. 2) The incidence of @entity600 increased with higher age and lower social class in the proband series, whereas no such connection was found in the control series. 3) The incidence of @entity600 for @entity1 of abortion applicants 25 years of age and above from social class III was 3% in the proband series as against 0.6% in the control series (P = 0.017). 4) One @entity600 , @entity2419 , occurred at a significantly (P less than 0.01) higher incidence than in the country as a whole, four cases against the expected value of 0.69. 5) Etiological analysis showed that three of the cases were @entity2008 , all of them @entity1467 , in two cases there was a genetic background and two cases were @entity2816 -induced @entity4219 . In three proband @entity1 there may have been a connection with the abuse of @entity167 by the mother. 6) When the chromosomal, genetic and thalidomide cases are excluded, the preponderance of @entity600 in the proband @entity1 of mothers 25 years of age and above belonging to social class III still remains (2.2% vs. 0.3%, P = 0.017). Conclusion. The results may be seen as support for the hypothesis that emotional stress in a pregnant @entity1 , operationally defined by the factor unwanted pregnancy, may interfere with fetal development and result in a higher incidence of @entity600 . The interference may occur directly via psycho-endocrinal or autonomous mechanisms or indirectly by the way in which the @entity1 might act in this situation of stress, e.g. attempts to provoke abortion, neglect of proper food intake, excessive smoking, or the abuse of @entity167 of drugs.
