"Maternal Trauma, Higher Cortisol Levels Tied To Infant Birth Weight" - Savannah Demko
Male infants born to mothers with a history of trauma and higher third trimester cortisol levels had significantly lower birth weights, according to research findings. "Identifying a prior history of trauma and providing interventions, for example treatment for associated mood disturbances, could lead to improved perinatal outcomes that have lifelong implications for health of mother and baby,” said Julie Flom, MD, MPH, fellow in the department of allergy and immunology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Our study highlights that experiences prior to pregnancy can shape the health of subsequent generations through altered fetal development and pregnancy outcomes," said senior author Rosalind Wright, MD, dean of translational biomedical research at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Given the disproportionate exposure to stressors among racial minorities and women of lower socioeconomic status, there are important implications for understanding intergenerational perpetuation of health disparities and for understanding how to intervene."
- Rosalind J. Wright, MD, Dean, Translational Biomedical Research, Horace W. Goldsmith Professorship, Children’s Health Research, Professor, Pediatrics, Critical Care, Environmental Medicine, Public Health, Pulmonary, and Sleep Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Julie Flom, MD, MPH, Fellow, Department of Allergy and Immunology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai