Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T06:21:12.678Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Prenatal maternal mental health and fetal growth restriction: a systematic review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 March 2016

A. J. Lewis Open the ORCID record for A. J. Lewis [Opens in a new window] ,
E. Austin  and
M. Galbally
A. J. Lewis*
Affiliation:
School of Psychology and Exercise Science, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Perth, WA, Australia
E. Austin
Affiliation:
School of Psychology and Exercise Science, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Perth, WA, Australia
M. Galbally
Affiliation:
Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch, Perth, WA, Australia School of Medicine, Notre Dame University, Perth, WA, Australia
*
*Address for correspondence: A. J. Lewis, School of Psychology and Exercise Science, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia. (Email [email protected])
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Maternal mental disorders during pregnancy are associated with a range of adverse health outcomes for offspring. This systematic review examines studies reporting on the relationship between maternal depression, anxiety or stress during pregnancy and fetal growth measured during pregnancy using ultrasound biometry. A systematic search of PsycINFO, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science and Embase was conducted and 1575 records were identified, with nine studies meeting inclusion criteria gathering data from over 7000 participants. All studies measured depression, six examined anxiety and depression, and five examined all three exposures. The majority measured symptoms rather than clinically diagnosable disorder. Studies consistently reported significant associations between maternal mental health, particularly anxiety symptoms, and reduced fetal head growth. Other fetal growth parameters showed inconsistent findings. A number of studies suggest that cortisol dysregulation associated with maternal mental health may play a role in fetal growth restriction. However, heterogeneity in the timing of growth measurement, assessment measures used for mental health and inconsistencies in adjustment for confounders, limits the synthesis and interpretation of findings. Future studies should consider differences in the timing, intensity and duration of mental health symptoms over pregnancy and should employ diagnostic assessment of mental disorders. Fetal growth should be repeatedly measured and further work is needed to establish the biological mechanisms involved.

Keywords

anxietydepressionfetal growthgrowth restrictionhead circumference
Type
Review
Information
Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease , Volume 7 , Issue 4 , August 2016 , pp. 416 - 428
Check for updates
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press and the International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Martins, C, Gaffan, EA. Effects of early maternal depression on patterns of infant-mother attachment: a meta-analytic investigation. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2000; 41, 737–746.Google Scholar
2. Lewis, AJ, Bailey, C, Galbally, M. Anti-depressant use during pregnancy in Australia: findings from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2012; 36, 487–488.Google Scholar
3. Galbally, M, Lewis, AJ, Buist, A. Developmental outcomes of children exposed to antidepressants in pregnancy. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2011; 45, 393–399.Google Scholar
4. Andersson, L, Sundström-Poromaa, I, Wulff, M, Aström, M, Bixo, M. Depression and anxiety during pregnancy and six months postpartum: a follow-up study. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2006; 85, 937–944.Google Scholar
5. Lee, AM, Lam, S, Lau, S, et al. Prevalence, course, and risk factors for antenatal anxiety and depression. Obstet Gynecol. 2007; 110, 1102–1112.Google Scholar
6. Bennett, HA, Einarson, A, Taddio, A, Koren, G, Einarson, TR. Prevalence of depression during pregnancy: systematic review. Obstet Gynecol. 2004; 103, 698–709.Google Scholar
7. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-5, 5th edn, 2013. American Psychiatric Association: Arlington, VA.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8. Andersson, L, Sundström-Poromaa, I, Bixo, M, et al. Point prevalence of psychiatric disorders during the second trimester of pregnancy: a population-based study. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2003; 189, 148–154.Google Scholar
9. Huizink, AC, Mulder, EJH, Buitelaar, JK. Prenatal stress and risk for psychopathology: specific effects or induction of general susceptibility? Psychol Bull. 2004; 130, 115–142.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10. Lewis, AJ, Galbally, M, Gannon, T, Symeonides, C. Early life programming as a target for prevention of child and adolescent mental disorders. BMC Med. 2014; 12, 33.Google Scholar
11. Lewis, AJ. Depression in pregnancy and child development: understanding the mechanisms of transmission. In Psychopharmacology and Pregnancy: Treatment Efficacy, Risks and Guidelines (eds. Galbally, Snellen, Lewis), 2014; pp. 47--66. Springer, Heidelberg.Google Scholar
12. O’Connor, TG, Heron, J, Golding, J, Glover, V, the ALSPAC Study Team. Maternal antenatal anxiety and behavioural/emotional problems in children: a test of a programming hypothesis. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2003; 44, 1025–1036.Google Scholar
13. O’Connor, TG, Heron, J, Golding, J, Beveridge, M, Glover, V. Maternal antenatal anxiety and children’s behavioural/emotional problems at 4 years: report from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Br J Psychiatry. 2002; 180, 502–508.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14. Gutteling, BM, De Weerth, C, Willemsen-Swinkels, SHN, et al. The effects of prenatal stress on temperament and problem behavior of 27-month-old toddlers. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2005; 14, 41–51.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15. Lewis, AJ, Olsson, CA. Early life stress and child temperament style as predictors of childhood anxiety and depressive symptoms: findings from the longitudinal study of Australian children. Depress Res Treat. 2011; 2011, 9.Google Scholar
16. Clavarino, AM, Mamun, AA, O’Callaghan, M, et al. Maternal anxiety and attention problems in children at 5 and 14 years. J Atten Disord. 2010; 13, 658–667.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17. van Os, J, Selten, JP. Prenatal exposure to maternal stress and subsequent schizophrenia. The May 1940 invasion of The Netherlands. Br J Psychiatry. 1998; 172, 324–326.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18. Murray, E, Fernandes, M, Fazel, M, et al. Differential effect of intrauterine growth restriction on childhood neurodevelopment: a systematic review. 2015; 8, 1062–1072.Google Scholar
19. Levine, T, Grunau, R, McAuliffe, F, et al. Early childhood neurodevelopment after intrauterine growth restriction: a systematic review. Pediatrics. 2015; 135, 126–141.Google Scholar
20. Barker, DJ. Maternal nutrition, fetal nutrition, and disease in later life. Nutrition. 1997; 13, 807–813.Google Scholar
21. Barker, DJ. The long-term outcome of retarded fetal growth. Clin Obstet Gynecol. 1997; 40, 853–863.Google Scholar
22. Barker, DJP. The Wellcome Foundation Lecture, 1994. The fetal origins of adult disease. Proc Biol Sci. 1995; 262, 37–43.Google Scholar
23. Gluckman, PD, Hanson, MA, Bateson, P, et al. Towards a new developmental synthesis: adaptive developmental plasticity and human disease. Lancet. 2009; 373, 1654–1657.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24. Field, T. Prenatal depression effects on early development: a review. Infant Behav Dev. 2011; 34, 1–14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
25. Ding, X-X, Wu, Y-L, Xu, S-J, et al. Maternal anxiety during pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. J Affect Disord. 2014; 159, 103–110.Google Scholar
26. Grote, NK, Bridge, JA, Gavin, AR, et al. A meta-analysis of depression during pregnancy and the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, and intrauterine growth restriction. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010; 67, 1012–1024.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
27. Simmons, R. Developmental origins of adult metabolic disease: concepts and controversies. Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2005; 16, 390–394.Google Scholar
28. Baschat, AA. Neurodevelopment after fetal growth restriction. Fetal Diagn Ther. 2014; 36, 136–142.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
29. Fattal-Valevski, A, Toledano-Alhadef, H, Leitner, Y, et al. Growth patterns in children with intrauterine growth retardation and their correlation to neurocognitive development. J Child Neurol. 2009; 24, 846–851.Google Scholar
30. Baschat, AA. Neurodevelopment following fetal growth restriction and its relationship with antepartum parameters of placental dysfunction. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 2011; 37, 501–514.Google Scholar
31. Blair, EM, Liu, Y, de Klerk, NH, Lawrence, DM. Optimal fetal growth for the Caucasian singleton and assessment of appropriateness of fetal growth: an analysis of a total population perinatal database. BMC Pediatr. 2005; 5, 13.Google Scholar
32. Seckl, JR. Prenatal glucocorticoids and long-term programming. Eur J Endocrinol. 2004; 151(Suppl. 3), U49–U62.Google Scholar
33. Diego, MA, Jones, NA, Field, T, et al. Maternal psychological distress, prenatal cortisol, and fetal weight. Psychosom Med. 2006; 68, 747–753.Google Scholar
34. Seng, JS, Rauch, SAM, Resnick, H, et al. Exploring posttraumatic stress disorder symptom profile among pregnant women. J Psychosom Obstet Gynaecol. 2010; 31, 176–187.Google Scholar
35. Rich-Edwards, JW, Mohllajee, AP, Kleinman, K, et al. Elevated midpregnancy corticotropin-releasing hormone is associated with prenatal, but not postpartum, maternal depression. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008; 93, 1946–1951.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
36. Robinson, J, Chidzanja, S, Kind, K, et al. Placental control of fetal growth. Reprod Fertil Dev. 1995; 7, 333–344.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
37. Stjernquist, M, Owman, C. Adrenoceptors mediating contraction in the human uterine artery. Hum Reprod. 1990; 5, 19–24.Google Scholar
38. O’Donnell, K, O’Connor, TG, Glover, V. Prenatal stress and neurodevelopment of the child: focus on the HPA axis and role of the placenta. Dev Neurosci. 2009; 31, 285–292.Google Scholar
39. Massaro, AN, Rothbaum, R, Aly, H. Fetal brain development: the role of maternal nutrition, exposures and behaviors. J Pediatr Neurol. 2006; 4, 1–9.Google Scholar
40. Wu, GY, Imhoff-Kunsch, B, Girard, AW. Biological mechanisms for nutritional regulation of maternal health and fetal development. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2012; 26(Suppl. 1), 4–26.Google Scholar
41. Wells, G, Shea, B, O’Connell, D, et al. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for assessing the quality of nonrandomised studies in meta-analyses. 2013.Google Scholar
42. Lo, CK-L, Mertz, D, Loeb, M. Newcastle-Ottawa Scale: comparing reviewers’ to authors’ assessments. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2014; 14, 45.Google Scholar
43. Maina, G, Saracco, P, Giolito, MR, et al. Impact of maternal psychological distress on fetal weight, prematurity and intrauterine growth retardation. J Affect Disord. 2008; 111, 214–220.Google Scholar
44. Uguz, F, Gezginc, K, Yazici, F. Are major depression and generalized anxiety disorder associated with intrauterine growth restriction in pregnant women? A case-control study. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2011; 33, 640.e7–640.e9.Google Scholar
45. Conde, A, Figueiredo, B, Tendais, I, et al. Mother’s anxiety and depression and associated risk factors during early pregnancy: effects on fetal growth and activity at 20–22 weeks of gestation. J Psychosom Obstet Gynecol. 2010; 31, 70–82.Google Scholar
46. Henrichs, J, Schenk, JJ, Roza, SJ, et al. Maternal psychological distress and fetal growth trajectories: the generation R study. Psychol Med. 2010; 40, 633–643.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
47. El Marroun, H, Jaddoe, VWV, Hudziak, JJ, et al. Maternal use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, fetal growth, and risk of adverse birth outcomes. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2012; 69, 706–714.Google Scholar
48. Diego, MA, Field, T, Hernandez-Reif, M, et al. Prenatal depression restricts fetal growth. Early Hum Dev. 2009; 85, 65–70.Google Scholar
49. Field, T, Diego, MA, Hernandez-Reif, M, et al. Prenatal dysthymia versus major depression effects on maternal cortisol and fetal growth. Depress Anxiety. 2008; 25, E11–E16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
50. Hompes, T, Vrieze, E, Fieuws, S, et al. The influence of maternal cortisol and emotional state during pregnancy on fetal intrauterine growth. Pediatr Res. 2012; 72, 305–315.Google Scholar
51. Mulder, EJH, de Medina, PGR, Huizink, AC, et al. Prenatal maternal stress: effects on pregnancy and the (unborn) child. Early Hum Dev. 2002; 70, 3–14.Google Scholar
52. Alder, J, Fink, N, Bitzer, J, Hösli, I, Holzgreve, W. Depression and anxiety during pregnancy: a risk factor for obstetric, fetal and neonatal outcome? A critical review of the literature. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2007; 20, 189–209.Google Scholar
53. Gicquel, C, Le Bouc, Y. Hormonal regulation of fetal growth. Horm Res. 2006; 65, 28–33.Google Scholar
54. Owens, J. Endocrine and substrate control of fetal growth: placental and maternal influences and insulin-like growth factors. Reprod Fertil Dev. 1991; 3, 501–517.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
55. Romanini, C, Valensise, H, Ciotti, G, Arduini, D, Giorgi, P. Tryptophan availability and fetal behavioral states. Fetal Diagn Ther. 1989; 4(Suppl. 1), 68–72.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
56. Longo, LD, Packianathan, S. Hypoxia-ischaemia and the developing brain: hypotheses regarding the pathophysiology of fetal–neonatal brain damage. Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1997; 104, 652–662.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
57. Serpero, LD, Bellissima, V, Colivicchi, M, et al. Next generation biomarkers for brain injury. J Matern-Fetal Neonatal Med. 2013; 26(Suppl. 2), 44–49.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
58. Van Batenburg-Eddes, T, Brion, MJ, Henrichs, J, et al. Parental depressive and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy and attention problems in children: a cross-cohort consistency study. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2013; 54, 591–600.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
59. Van den Bergh, BRH, Mulder, EJH, Mennes, M, Glover, V. Antenatal maternal anxiety and stress and the neurobehavioural development of the fetus and child: links and possible mechanisms. A review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2005; 29, 237–258.Google Scholar
60. Van den Bergh, BRH, Marcoen, A. High antenatal maternal anxiety is related to ADHD symptoms, externalizing problems, and anxiety in 8- and 9-year-olds. Child Dev. 2004; 75, 1085–1097.Google Scholar
61. Jacka, FN, Reavley, NJ, Jorm, AF, et al. Prevention of common mental disorders: what can we learn from those who have gone before and where do we go next? Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2013; 47, 920–929.Google Scholar
62. Barker, ED, Kirkham, N, Ng, J, Jensen, SKG. Prenatal maternal depression symptoms and nutrition, and child cognitive function. Br J Psychiatry. 2013; 203, 417–421.Google Scholar
63. Keenan, K, Bartlett, TQ, Nijland, M, et al. Poor nutrition during pregnancy and lactation negatively affects neurodevelopment of the offspring: evidence from a translational primate model. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013; 98, 396–402.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
64. Rodriguez, A. Maternal pre-pregnancy obesity and risk for inattention and negative emotionality in children. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2010; 51, 134–143.Google Scholar
65. Van Lieshout, RJ, Taylor, VH, Boyle, MH. Pre-pregnancy and pregnancy obesity and neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring: a systematic review. Obes Rev. 2011; 12, e548–e559.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
66. Suzuki, K, Sato, M, Zheng, W, et al. Effect of maternal smoking cessation before and during early pregnancy on fetal and childhood growth. J Epidemiol. 2014; 24, 60–66.Google Scholar
67. Hingson, R, Alpert, JJ, Day, N, et al. Effects of maternal drinking and marijuana use on fetal growth and development. Pediatrics. 1982; 70, 539–546.Google Scholar
68. Andrade, SE, Raebel, MA, Brown, J, et al. Use of antidepressant medications during pregnancy: a multisite study. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2008; 198, 194.e1–194.e5.Google Scholar
69. Galbally, M, Lewis, AJ, Buist, A. Child developmental outcomes in preschool children following antidepressant exposure in pregnancy. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2015; 49, 642–650.Google Scholar
70. Oberlander, TF. Fetal serotonin signaling: setting pathways for early childhood development and behavior. J Adolesc Health. 2012; 51(Suppl. 2), S9–S16.Google Scholar
71. Adams, AS, Soumerai, SB, Lomas, J, Ross-Degnan, D. Evidence of self-report bias in assessing adherence to guidelines. Int J Qual Health Care. 1999; 11, 187–192.Google Scholar
72. Matthey, S, Ross-Hamid, C. The validity of DSM symptoms for depression and anxiety disorders during pregnancy. J Affect Disord. 2011; 133, 546–552.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
73. Dudley, NJ. A systematic review of the ultrasound estimation of fetal weight. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 2005; 25, 80–89.Google Scholar
74. Seth, S, Lewis, AJ, Saffery, R, Lappas, M, Galbally, M. Maternal prenatal mental health and placental 11β-HSD2 gene expression: initial findings from the mercy pregnancy and emotional wellbeing study. Int J Mol Sci. 2015; 16, 27482–27496.Google Scholar
75. Matevosyan, NR. Pregnancy and postpartum specifics in women with schizophrenia: a meta-study. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2011; 283, 141–147.Google Scholar
76. Blankley, G, Galbally, M, Snellen, M, Power, J, Lewis, AJ. Borderline personality disorder in the perinatal period: early infant and maternal outcomes. Australas Psychiatry. 2015; 23, 688–692.Google Scholar
77. Stein, A, Murray, L, Cooper, P, Fairburn, CG. Infant growth in the context of maternal eating disorders and maternal depression: a comparative study. Psychol Med. 1996; 26, 569–574.Google Scholar