Stress during pregnancy leads to premature puberty in first-born daughters

 Stress During Pregnancy Leads To Premature Puberty In 

First-Born Daughters

The essential

A UCLA-led research team has found a link between certain aspects of early puberty in first-born daughters and excessive prenatal stress in their mothers.

The researchers did not find the same results among boys and daughters who were not eldest sons.

This early puberty may allow first-born daughters to help their mothers successfully raise other children, said UCLA anthropologist Molly Fox.

A UCLA-led research team has found a link between early signs of adrenergic puberty in first-born daughters and the high levels of prenatal stress their mothers experienced. They did not find the same results in boys or girls who were not firstborn.

The results of this 15-year longitudinal study are published in the February issue of Psychoneuroendocrinology.

The study identifies, for the first time, an early pattern of prenatal stress leading to adrenal puberty. Adrenal puberty is characterized by changes in body hair, pimples, and cognitive maturation, but does not include breast development or the onset of menstruation in girls, nor does it include testicular enlargement in boys.

The discovery adds to research in the field of fetal planning, studies exploring the effects of stress and other factors affecting pregnant women on the fetus and the child long after birth.

Molly Fox, an anthropologist at UCLA, said, "This is the first discovery that is interesting from an evolutionary perspective." She led the study with colleagues from UC Irvine, UC Merced, Chapman University and the University of Denver.

Fox explained that the maturation of a first-born daughter, rather than early menstruation, may enable her to help her mother successfully raise her other children. Daughter has become mature to help care for the child, but she is not  able to have her own children, who wants her attention.

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The findings also provide insight into what is known as "eldest daughter syndrome," a sociocultural phenomenon discussed online in which eldest daughters often consciously or unconsciously take on childcare and other household tasks to help with traditional parental or adult responsibilities. The online discussion centered on the strong sense of responsibility older daughters have for the well-being of their families.

Researchers recruited participants for the study from two obstetrics clinics in Southern California who were in their first trimester for routine prenatal care. The women had an average age of 30, were all over 18 years old, and all had single pregnancies. About half of them were pregnant for the first time. All spoke English, 45% were white/non-Latino, and 30% were Latino. All were nonsmokers and had not used steroid medications, tobacco, alcohol, or other recreational drugs during their pregnancies. Of the children born to these mothers, 48% were girls and 52% were boys.

Women's levels of stress, depression, and anxiety were measured at 15, 19, 25, 31, and 37 weeks of pregnancy to form a composite score of prenatal psychological distress. They were also assessed two to three months postpartum to assign a composite postpartum distress score. The depression assessment asked respondents to assess the truthfulness of statements such as "I feel lonely". An example of an anxiety problem is how often they experience a particular symptom, such as "nervousness".

Biomarkers of adrenal and gonadal puberty are measured in children at ages 8-10, 11-12, and 13-16, and include body hair, skin changes, height growth or growth spurts, breast development and onset of menstruation (females), voice changes, and facial hair growth (males). Hormone levels, an indicator of adrenal and gonadal puberty, were measured through saliva samples at all assessment stages.

The study also measured childhood adversity to account for other factors known to be associated with signs of early maturation or puberty in children and adolescents. These factors include the death of a parent before the age of 5 or parental separation, absentee fathers and lower income to needs ratios at ages 7-9.

Fox said, "This study adds to the body of knowledge in our field and shows that when it comes to prenatal emotional, environmental and other factors, there are significant lifelong impacts on women and their offspring. This is important as we continue to come up with practical policy solutions to provide pregnant women with greater access to health care and overall well-being."