Hair cortisol concentration across the peripartum period: Documenting changes and associations with depressive symptoms and recent adversity
Year: 2021
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Women experience dramatic physiological changes during pregnancy, including changes in the production of the "stress hormone," cortisol. Evidence has been mixed regarding whether hair cortisol concentration (HCC) can be used to accurately capture the trajectory of cortisol during this period and whether factors related to psychosocial stress are related to HCC in pregnant and postpartum women. In the current study, we collected hair samples from 85 individuals during the peripartum period (with collection occasions in pregnancy [12-37 weeks], at 3-8 weeks postpartum, and at 5-8 months postpartum) from which we derived 783 monthly observations of HCC. In addition, at each assessment individuals reported their current depressive symptoms and experiences of recent psychosocial adversity. Using piecewise mixed effects modeling, we identified significant increases in HCC across pregnancy (approximately a 2-fold rise) followed by significant decreases in HCC postpartum. Beyond these effects, however, there was substantial within-individual variability in HCC. Disaggregating between- from within-individual associations of depressive symptoms and adversity with HCC, we found that within-individual fluctuations in adversity were positively coupled with levels of HCC. Overall, the current findings suggest that measurement of cortisol in human hair captures its trajectory from conception through six months postpartum, including prenatal increases and gradual recovery of typical levels following childbirth. In addition to the overall severity of psychosocial adversity, change in women's experiences of adversity during the peripartum period merit attention.
Language: English
Subfield: Behavioral Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,750
Awards: The Role of Caregiver Social Processes on Neural and Endocrine Function in Infants, The effects of maternal early life stress on perinatal hair cortisol concentration: Implications for infant cortisol and brain volume, Children's socioemotional and cognitive development in the context of psychosocial neglect and enrichment: The roles of parent and child genetics, Effects of Environmental Stimulation and Nurturance on Neural and Endocrine Functions in Infants, Psychobiological Mechanisms Underlying the Association Between Early Life Stress and Depression Across Adolescence
OpenAlex ID: W4200205860